


Will you still call me SuperMan?

by GaaraUnveiled



Category: Ben 10
Genre: F/M, Kissing, Some sexual stuff, Touching, Two kids fooling around haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 02:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17479484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaaraUnveiled/pseuds/GaaraUnveiled
Summary: Everything changes for Ben when all he wants to do is change in the locker room for gym class.





	1. In the locker rooms.

**Author's Note:**

> First Bwen fanfic. If you do not like this pairing, THEN. DON'T. READ. IT. I'm not dealing with anyone's tomfoolery just because they don't approve of this ship. It's called fan fiction for a reason dumb ass. Anyways, if you like this pairing, then read on! Enjoy.
> 
> ~GaaraUnveiled

Ben began to struggle greatly as his hands tightened a firm grip on the door to the boy's locker room. He began to grit his teeth, as he pulled harder and harder on the handle. No luck, the thing didn't want to budge. The 13 year old sighed, getting frusterated by the second as his failed attempt to open the locker room door was still happening. It wouldn't even open slightly, it just stayed bolt shut. Ben groaned.

"Who the hell locks the boy's locker room THIS early in the morning?" He yelled out loud to nobody in perticilar. He then felt like tugging at his hair. This was going to be a long school day. With all the frustration going on,the brunette almost forgot the obvious choice he had, which was plastered on to his right arm all along. The omnitrix of course. A smirk grew on the boy's face as he began to fiddle with the watch's alien choices.

"Duh I could just go hero. I think 4 Arms would be perfect for this problem." He said as he found the strong red alien and raised his hand up in the air ready to activate. Just as Ben was about to, a thought hit him hard and reality struck him like a bolt of lighting. Oh yeah, he was in school. Not off somewhere in the city fighting villains and monsters from other galaxies. He was just simply in school, as a bored seventh grader. Nothing else. After seeing what he couldn't do, Ben found himself whining in frustration.

"Damn it now how am I going to change for gym?" He whispered screamed as he hit the door very hard. He then slid down the back of it and found himself sitting down on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees. Yeah he could go ask the gym teacher for help but Ben didn't really like him. So he was pretty much out of options it seemed. Today was going to more then suck. It was going to suck so bad that nothing could possibly make this better. Or could it?

The 13 year old bit his lip as he nervously looked up at his second option. The option all 13 year old boys fear and hope to never ever have to step foot in there ever. The girl's locker room. Ben almost found himself choking as the thought began to race in his head. What was he thinking it was a ok idea to change in the other locker room? He wasn't a girl, he was a man!

" Oh hell no I'm not changing in there!" He told himself as he threw a pair of his socks at the door. "I'm not going in there for anything!" The stubborn teen then stuck up his nose and continued to sit down in a huff. Ever since he woke up today everything seemed to be going wrong, and this was one of those things. His eyes glanced up to the clock in the hallway and he noticed what time it was going on. 8:15, he was 10 minutes late for gym. He found himself sighing.

"If I go hero in school I'll get detention again." He moaned as he gripped tighter around his knee caps. "And I don't want that to happen again. I got grounded for a whole month last time." He then found himself laying down, now staring up at the hallway ceiling. There wasn't a kid or teacher in sight. Everyone was busy in gym or other classrooms just going on with their days while Ben was laying out in the hall just wanting to change for gym. That's all. Nothing more or nothing less. He just wanted to change.

The teen's eyes left the ceiling then averted back to the girl's locker room door again. He could feel his whole face wrinkle in disgust as he stared at it knowing that was his only solution if he wanted to change for gym. He found himself gulping as he slowly sat his way up and stared eye to eye with the door handle. He knew he had to do this. Ben then slowly stood himself up.

"Well, I guess this is it." He whispered as he almost motionless made his way over to the front of the locker room door. After what seemed like forever, Ben bravely embraced his fist around the door handle and ever so slightly slowly began to open it, fearing a girl or something could be on the other side. The door barely creaked opened, which was a good thing for him since he was quietly trying to get in.

After getting the door fully opened, Ben silently began to make his way inside. The moment he entered, a strong smell of roses and cherry blossom fumes hit his nostrils causing him to take in a deep breath. Expecting to find himself gagging hard over it, he instead found himself taking in another whiff. The girl's locker room smelled incredibly sweet, and he didn't at all expect that. He expected the locker room to smell like cooties, but this was something different. And he shamefully found himself kinda liking it.

'So far not too bad.' He thought as he turned the corner after taking in another deep breath of the wonderful smell. 'It smells amazing in here.' After fully turning the corner, he found himself in the locker area and his heart began to pound as he prayed that no girl was going to come his way. Ben quietly began to look around, first making sure that he was all alone before he decided to change. And as far as he knew he was. Ben finally found himself able to properly breathe again. The coast as he knew it was clear.

"Thank god." He whispered with a relieved smile and began to strip out of his white tee shirt and threw it on the cold cement looking floor. After taking his shirt off and pants, Ben grabbed for his gym shirt but stopped dead in his tracks once he heard the bathroom toilet flush that was on the other end of the locker room. 

His body turned to a stature almost, and he found himself unable to move. It was as if he was glued to the seat out of fear. A few seconds later, he heard the bathroom door open. Ben found himself paralyzed and his mind turned blank, having no idea what to do.

'Oh shit oh shit oh shit!' He thought as he struggled to get his pants back on in a hurry. Almost having a heart attack, Ben grabbed for his gym bag and threw his shirt over his shoulder making a run for it. His mind was racing, telling himself that he had to get out of there no matter what it cost him. 

As Ben got up to make a run for it, he accidentally made the wrong mistake by running the other way into the opposite direction he was heading. He got confused, due to the fact his whole body felt like it was on fire which was making him panicking. He wasn't even thinking to use his watch for he could've easily escaped using Xl8r. But who thinks about that at a time like this? Ben sure wasn't.

As the teen kept running, he was quickly stopped and interrupted by someone he had accidentally ran into. Ben fell back, hitting the ground hard while all of his gym stuff scattered everywhere. It all happened so fast that it took Ben a few moments to actually process what had just went down. He then rubbed his head, which felt like there was a giant bump forming there. He clenched his teeth.

"Ow! Watch where you're going doofus!" The both of them yelled at each other as they opened their eyes . The moment Ben's eyes were opened, he instantly paused and felt his whole throat get dry. His eyes then widened as he saw and realized who he had bumped into. Blush began to creep up on his face and his heart was once again on the go, racing fast by the second. It was no other then his cousin Gwen.

"Gwen?..." He said as his body was beginning to feel warm. Gwen's eyes were showing the same expression as Ben's, flabbergasted and full of surprise. She was sitting on the floor in only in her bra and underwear, which were both pink with purple lace ribbon threaded around it. He guessed the pile near the bathroom sink was hers, recognizing her favorite pale purple shirt with the cat plastered on the front and her cream colored pants.

She was still wearing a training bra, due to the fact that puberty still yet had to hit the teen girl. Her short orange hair, still the same as it had been when she was 10, was pulled back a little bit with her purple hair clip that she'd always wear. Her thin waist was showing, since she was only wearing her bra but Ben could start to see a few curves start to form on her. Just a few small ones. 

Without noticing at first, Ben started to feel his lower half of his body get incredibly hard. After feeling his pants get kinda tight, Ben bit his lower lip as he tried his hardest not to let out any moans. The whole locker room was quiet, which only made the whole situation even more awkward. He couldn't help but stare. After what finally seemed like forever, Gwen finally spoke.

"BEN??? What the hell are you doing here in the girl's locker room you fucking perv???!" She yelled while covering herself up with a spare shirt she had just found laying near her, as she threw her shoe at him. Her white and blue shoe hit Ben hard across the face which left a small scratch mark that did indeed hurt like hell.

As Ben rubbed his now swollen cheek, Gwen's face was blushing red as she waited impatiently for her dweeb of a cousin to answer her back. Gwen was not in the mood to be playing games.

"WELL?!" She yelled at him as Ben shielded his eyes and looked quickly at the floor not wanting to look at Gwen like that again. He then groaned from the pain of the shoe and mustered up the courage to reply. He indeed had a lot of explaining to do.

"Why are you yelling at me?! You're the one who's trappings around in nothing but a bra and some underwear!!" He snapped back not liking the tone that his cousin was giving him. Gwen glared back and quickly wrapped the shirt around her tighter as she felt her cheeks get redder. Oh he was so going to get it.

"Maybe it's because this is the girl's locker room you dweeb!!! And I have the right to get changed in here!!" She bellowed in reply wanting to throw her other shoe at him. Ben made a whatever sound and stood up from the ground, rubbing the hurting part of his ass as Gwen watched him in fury. She then continued to yell at him.

"So answer my question from before Ben! What the hell were you doing in here?!" 

Ben sighed, seeing he was way beyond caught and had no choice but to tell and explain it to her. He placed his hands in his baggy pants pockets and averted his eyes the other way, avoiding her gaze and still blushing like hell. He then cleared his throat.

"Well, the boy's locker room was locked, and, I had no where else to go. So seeing I couldn't go hero to open it, and I had no other choice, I came in here.." he quietly muttered feeling his whole body turn red as Gwen looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and a frown. His eyes then glanced back to her. 

"That's why Gwen. I'm not a perv, I just needed a place to change for gym. That's all." He finished as he gathered up his stuff to leave. But before he could walk out of the locker room, he was interrupted by Gwen's voice now chiming back in. He turned around to see what she wanted.

"I'm not done with you yet dorkus! Just because there was no other place for you to change doesn't mean you can just come in here! Why not try the nurse's next time? It'll save you the embarrassment." She hissed as she stood up herself to retrieve her clothes.

Ben felt as if a bullet had pierced his heart. Never in his life had he seen Gwen so mad and upset with him before. Yeah they've fought countless times, but this was the first time he didn't seem to have anything back to say. He felt, powerless. Even with the omnitrix tightly gripped to his arm. He felt like a complete joke.

"I'm...I'm sorry Gwen. I should've thought before I made any actions." He muttered as he turned back around to leave. Gwen glared him down as he did, but then soon began to feel bad for yelling at him like that. He only meant to change his clothes for gym, not peek on girls. Besides, if he really wanted to be a perv, he would've turned into Gray Matter or something to do that. Ben meant no harm whatsoever.

"Wait Ben." Gwen said sticking her hand out to him. Ben stopped and turned back around, once again facing his cousin. She sighed, but then showed a smile as she waved her hand telling him to come closer. And he did. Ben quietly walked over without saying a world as Gwen waited patiently for him to do so. He then spoke.

"Yes?" He spoke softly. The orange haired teen then cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry for, yelling at you like that. I just, I was just caught up in the moment I guess. I never meant to speak to you like that. Or throw my shoe at you. Can you forgive me?." She replied blushing a little bit. Ben looked at her in silence for a few moments before deciding on what to say next. He then showed a smile, and rubbed the back of his head as if he was being praised or something. He nodded.

"Of course Gwen, I forgive you. This whole thing was just a misunderstanding for the both of us. But you were right you know, I shouldn't of barged in here like that hehe." He answered with more blush chilling on his face. Gwen giggled a little and hit him softly on the shoulder.

"I'd give you a hug squirt but I can't due to not having much on." Gwen said awkwardly looking down at the floor. Ben felt himself reddening again as well and he could feel his pants getting a bit tighter. Oh how he hoped Gwen didn't at all notice his little "problem" yet. Anything but that.

"Yeah, you should probably get dressed. Don't want to go out there like that." Ben blushed trying his best not to look at Gwen like that again. He didn't know what it was, but ever since he laid eyes on her like that, a weird romantic feeling began to hang over him. He didn't want to admit it, but secretly down inside him, he thought Gwen was kinda cute. Gwen awkwardly looked back at him and laughed a little, given Ben had a point.

"Yeah, I should probably go do that. You should too since you're shirtless." She pointed out while grabbing for her shirt. She unwrapped the spare one she had on and let it drop to the floor, then picked up her cat shirt and placed it over herself. Ben stood there watching, not able to help himself due to his cousin's beauty. How could he not of noticed her like this before? Out of all the years he's known her, how could he of been so blind up untill now?

After getting her shirt back on, Gwen's gaze went back at her cousin to find him still looking at her as if he was in a trance. She was puzzled for a second or two untill she realized why he might of been staring. She was still in her pink panties. She felt her face turn rosey again.

"Uh, what are you doing?" She asked sheepishly. Ben then quickly snapped out of it and shyly looked away seeing he was doing it again. The hormonal teen just couldn't help it. Gwen was just beautiful.

"Uh, oh yeah sorry. I was just thinking." He lied turning away and fixing his pants begging for his "thing" to go down. Gwen felt her body get warm as she watched Ben seem to struggle a little with his pants. Oh what was that cousin of her's up to?

She found herself walking over to him but stopped when she thought she heard a quiet moan from him. Just hearing that moan escape his mouth started to make Gwen herself a little turned on. She then placed her hand near her area and found herself fiddling with the brim of her panties.

'Why do I feel like this?' She thought biting her lower lip a little. 'Why is Ben moaning over there and why is it making me feel, funny? Gwen then took in a deep breathe and broke the silence that was hanging over them.

"Ben are you ok?" She asked as she heard him zipper down his pants. Ben quickly nodded and shooed her away, not wanting her to see what he was doing. Ben had to try and figure out a way to get his hard on to go back down, but it was getting more difficult by the second. Gwen of course being curious didn't listen and went over to see what he was hiding. She didn't like when Ben kept things from her.

"Ben stop acting like a dweeb and let me see." She asked as she went over to him. But the moment she walked over to her cousin, she ended up stumbling a bit as she tripped on her shoe by mistake since she didn't take notice of it. Gwen found herself falling down on Ben, as he turned to see what was wrong with her. The two came crashing down back on to the locker room floor in a blushing heap. Neither of them realizing the position they were both in or where each other's privates were. Gwen's heart was racing, knowing she had fallen on top of her cousin.

When they opened their eyes, they found their hearts stop and stomachs drop. Their faces were inches from touching, with their lips only inches a part. But that wasn't the thing that was making the two teen cousins freak. Barely, just barely, Ben's shaft had found it's way to Gwen's vaginal area, with the tip being inside her dripping a little. The moment the two acknowledged that, Gwen pushed herself off of him and scooted herself away, panicking like hell.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god!!" She said breathing heavily as all this unsure emotion began to run through her. Ben's own mind was racing, as he let all of what just happened sink in. He then began to panick himself.

"Gwen I didn't mean to it was an accident! It's out don't worry!!" He said trying everything he could to comfort her. Gwen ignored him for a second, too paranoid to respond to him as she touched where it had went in. She then turned to him with tears in her eyes, showing how afraid and confused she was. The look she gave him just broke his heart. Ben tried to hold the urge to cry.

"Do you think it made its way to my womb? You don't think I'm pregant do you?!" She asked holding back the urge to start bawling. Ben then embraced her tightly, holding her close to his chest as he tried to calm his worried cousin down. He then started to rub her back.

"Shhhh Gwen. It's going to be ok." He said, trying to hide the fact that he was scared and freaking out himself. Ben was more then scared, he was petrified. It scared him knowing something scary like this had just gone down, and that he may or may not of taken his cousin's virginity by mistake. Gwen found herself rather surprised at the fact that Ben was being so calm about this and acting like a grown up. Usually he'd start showing his fear, but today was different.

She looked back at him, showing her red face which was wet from all the tears rolling down her cheeks. She then pushed herself to speak.

"How far do you think it went up there?" She asked shaking and choking on her crying. Ben sighed, scared to answer that question himself. He wasn't so sure, but Gwen indeed had fallen pretty hard on him. He then wiped away her tears, and started to calm her down. He held her shaking body closely to his, easing away her nervousness and bringing her to a more quiet feeling. After a few seconds of rubbing her back and pulling her close, Gwen stopped crying and started sniffling instead. 

"Ben." She spoke softly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm um, I'm scared." She whispered into his shirt as she buried her face into his chest. He nodded in reply, feeling his own mind start to race as thought after thought collided in his mind. It was all an accident, they didn't mean to fall on each other like that. Nor have his privates out. All he was doing was trying to get his hard on down, not let the tip of it get inside Gwen by mistake. And now they didn't know what to do.

"Hey Gwen." He whispered as he felt his cousin nuzzle his chest. Gwen stopped her nuzzling and looked up at him, face still red and eyes still sore from crying.

"Yeah?" She spoke, voice cooing like a lavender dove. He then felt his heart begin to beat again as he looked at her with the firey feeling of love in his eyes. She went quiet as his face got closer, and felt him embrace her back again. Ben then placed his thumb underneath her chin and brought her closer to his lips. He then closed his eyes, and she did to as well as her face darkened with blush, and mouth opened a little bit ready for whatever Ben was about to do. 

" Whatever happens, I want you to know that there's nothing to fear." He spoke as his lips were just inches away from her's. Just as the two cousin's were about to kiss, or what it seemed like they were, the sound of students began to fill up the hallway outside causing the two to panic and quickly get off of each other. Ben frantically grabbed his shirt and gym stuff as Gwen ran over to put her pants back on. After doing so, Ben searched breathlessly for a exit.

" I can't leave! There's no other exit!" He said feeling his mind begin to race again. Then an idea hit the orange haired teen's mind.

"Quick turn into Grey Matter or something!" Gwen said back, pushing him towards the bathroom stalls. Ben quickly ran inside the stall and locked the door in a hurry. He then began to search through his omnitrix, anxiously trying to find Gray Matter. Gwen stayed infront of the locker stall, waiting impatiently for her cousin to finish up.

"Hurry I don't know when they're coming in Ben!" She whispered shouted as Ben finally found Gray Matter and raised his hand to activate it.

"It's hero time." He said, slamming his watch down with his hand and activating it. After pressing the button, a glow of green illuminated the whole bathroom stall and Ben began to transform. After fully transforming, the green glow disappeared leaving the bathroom stall the same as it was before. Gwen looked down and out crawled Grey Matter from the stall. Gwen smiled and picked him up.

"Come on, we need to get you out of here." She said gently placing him in her shirt pocket. The rush of students finally emerged when a crowd of teenage girls all entered the locker room, sweaty and warn out from gym. Gwen knew she would get in trouble for not attending gym that day, but that's if her gym teacher found out about it. She decided it was best to lay low and pretend she got in late, even if she didn't have an office pass.

After all the girls poured in, Gwen casually walked past a group of them, not wanting to talk or answer any of their questions like why wasn't she at gym this morning and all of that. She didn't want them to assume stuff like she was skipping class or hanging out with some boy, even though they wouldn't of been wrong. 

'I have to leave before he turns back.' She thought as she made her way to the locker room door. The last thing she wanted was for Ben to unactivite and for everyone in the locker room to just stand there in puzzled amazement. It happend once at a slumber party, that Gwen had a couple years ago for her 11th birthday. It was Ben's birthday also, but all he cared about was crashing his cousin's party instead of really attending his own. He loved messing around and pulling pranks.

Gwen opened the locker room door and entered out into the hall way. The hall way was flooded with middle school students rushing and pushing into each other, cussing and barking at the person next to them. Gwen placed her hand over her pocket, protecting Ben from any passing students. She knew the kids at her school didn't mess around, and that they would push and shove just to get to the next class they had to attend. Kids these days were heartless.

"Damn it's crowded." Ben noted as Gwen tried to make her way through the spazzing crowd.

"Yeah I know dweeb. I think I can see that." She whispered back as she dodged some girl's elbow. Ben held tightly to her shirt pocket as Gwen tried to make her way towards the math room. Ben then rolled his eyes.

"Could you take us somewhere else instead?" He whined in his little alien voice. Gwen puffed out some hot air showing she was annoyed, then looked down at him as he looked up at her. He then anxiously smiled.

"Just because we missed gym doesn't mean we can also skip math." She whispered back harshly opening the door.

"But I don't even have my math stuff! Also we still have our gym bags and clothes. We gotta go to our lockers dorkus!" Ben bellowed back as Gwen let go of the door handle and a couple of kids passed them by. She then found herself sighing, for the 8th time that day it felt. Ben was right, they weren't even prepared for their next class. Usually Gwen was the one to remind him of what he needed to do through out the school day. But today was different, today Ben was taking in responsibility. And it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Since when do you remember shit like this?" She bickered as Ben hopped out of her pocket and on to her shoulder.

"Since today I guess." He answered while perching himself down. Gwen didn't question any further about it. She decided it was best to let it all go and let it take care of itself. Maybe Ben was growing up a little. Maybe he was finally getting it and paying attention to these sorts of things. Or maybe he was still an idiot, and just wanted an excuse to call her a dorkus. Whatever it was, Gwen didn't like any of those reasons.

"Fine we'll go to the lockers. When do you unactivate?" She asked as she made her way down the hall.

"Usually about now. So hurry up!" He said jumping up and down on her shoulder. Gwen then had the sudden urge to smack him off her shoulder and let him fly across the hall, but she figured she shouldn't. Ben would be getting his fair share of teasing very shortly. Most likely after school when no one was around so she could kick his ass for good. 

She had a lot of frustration she wanted to get out of her system. Especially since after the whole Locker room accident. Gwen felt her cheeks turn red again as those thoughts began to run through her tired mind. She didn't want to admit it but, deep down she liked the feeling of Ben wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to his chest. Showing so much love and protection. All of that over a small slip up they unexpectey had. She grew very quiet as she kept thinking about it. That was a side of Ben that she'd never seen before ever, and she knew him all her life. 

Never did she think he even had it in him, and he did. Then there was that last part before they had to leave, Ben was about to kiss her. Ben, her own cousin, almost kissed her. I mean, she thought he was about to kiss her. She felt herself swallow a lump in her throat as her heart began to beat very heavily. Before she knew it, her face was red again.

"Damn it Ben." She muttered to herself as she held back more tears. "Why do you do this?"

Ben looked at her as they finally got to their lockers. Now, he knew when his cousin was upset, due to the fact he grew up with the girl, and he could just tell by the look on her face that something was wrong. 

"What's wrong Gwen?" He asked, voice filling with concern. Gwen just looked at him and glared, making the boy back away a little on her shoulder then place his hands up in defense.

"If you don't shut up then I'll squish you like a bug you hear me Ben Tennyson?" She hissed with sudden frustration. Ben then suddenly grew quiet, seeing Gwen was serious about this. He then heard his Omnitrix start to go off and saw the device begin to flash red. Ben then jumped off of Gwen's shoulder and turned back to normal. He ruffled his hair and turned back to his cousin.

He watched as she opened her locker and began to gather her stuff for her next couple of classes. He then turned away, seeing she probably wouldn't be in the mood to continue talking since she just told him to shut up. Ben felt his heart drop a little. He didn't know what it was, but something inside him was telling him not to be upset with her. That everything was going to be ok. In just the matter of time.

The 13 year old then turned to his locker, which was a few down from his cousin's. He quietly began to gather his belongings, then tossed his gym bag on to one of the handles. He picked up a few of his Sumo Slamo graphic novels knowing they would defiantly come in handy. He needed something to do in math class. When he closed it he saw that Gwen was still there, standing infront of him actually with a look of boredom across her face. He then sighed, wanting to speak but knowing he probably shouldn't. It was hard to tell with her at the moment.

"Ready for math, dweeb?" She asked showing a small cocky smirk as she held on to her math text books. Ben found himself smiling back, seeing Gwen was actually up for conversation. He thought she wasn't going to speak with him for the rest of the day because of the awkward mistake but he was wrong. He was glad that he was wrong because as of today, he really liked the sound of her voice. 

"Of course Dorkus brain. Lead the way." He replied as his hand went out and pointed down the hall to the math room.

"Gladly." Gwen said, grinning.


	2. In the courtyard.

The rest of the day seemed to lag on. Ben found himself laying all over his desk while looking up at the clock with his pencil sticking out of his mouth. Out of all the days to be slow, why did it have to be this one? So much had happened in the morning, and he knew he had to do something about it. It had been on his mind all day. He couldn't help but glance over at Gwen either, eyeing her when they had to do independent work. Sometimes she would eye him back and their stares would lock. Both cousin's would look away and break out into blush afterwards, then finding it harder to focus on their school work. Why were they so distracted today? What about the other did they find so, appealing? 

Gwen found it incredibly hard due to the fact that she couldn't get Ben off of her mind. No matter how hard she tried to drown her thoughts in something else Ben would just re appear back into them. He was like a boomerang, no matter how many times you threw him away he would just bounce back. She found herself gripping her pencil harder and clenching her teeth as her 13 year old dweeb of a cousin kept glancing over at her. But she herself was to blame, because she kept glancing back. And each time, she found herself surprising not regretting it.

She heard herself sigh, as she put down her pencil and looked back up at the clock. 11:55, a few more minutes untill lunch. Gwen found herself ease up a little, seeing that lunch would be in about five minutes. She would have plenty of time to go over her thoughts and clear her head a little. There was so much to do in the courtyard and she was looking forward to it. Just her alone in her corner with her music. With no one to bother her. 

Ben on the other hand, felt like he needed to be with Gwen the next period. He felt as if he had to apologize for everything, even though everything was a huge mistake. He wanted to make it up to her in any way he could but what? What did girls his age like anyway? They didn't play with Barbie dolls anymore, or make friendship bracelets. All they really did was shop and gossip about boys and people they didn't like. How do you use that to make up for your stupidity? He sighed.

Maybe he could make her something, or buy her ice cream during lunch. Yeah, he could do that. Ben smiled, liking his idea. He then placed his hand inside his pants pockets and began rummaging through it. He felt some change as his hand danced around his cluttered pocket, trying to at least find a dollar or two. All he pulled out was a few dimes and nickels, along with a toy Bakuguan, Pokémon cards, and some candy wrappers. No such luck. 

"Damn it." He muttered as he looked at his pocket in disbelief. He then laid his head on his desk and waited impatiently for the bell to ring. Maybe he had a couple of bucks in his locker or something. Ice cream wasn't that expensive. The lunch room sold two fudge bars for $1.50 each. They could've split it and shared a little sweet the two of them. It was too bad he didn't have the money though. He felt himself groan in annoyance. The two Tennyson cousins sat in silence for the rest of the few minutes of their boring English class.

Gwen finished writing her book essay and placed her pencil down with a look of relief on her face. She had finally successfully completed her essay without glancing back over at Ben. She looked at the clock and saw that the bell was going to ring in any second. A smile grew on her face.

'Finally.' She thought as she began to pack up. A few seconds later, the bell rang and kids began to stand up from their seats and push in their chairs. Gwen pushed her seat in and swung her book bag over her shoulder and grabbed her essay, going up to the front of the room to hand it in. Ben watched as she did so, grabbing his stuff also. He then looked down at his own paper and frowned. Since he was so distracted during class, he never got the chance to finish. But how could he? So much was going on inside his mind, and he was determined to sort everything out with Gwen. 

No matter if he liked it or not. He took in a deep breath and followed Gwen up to the front of the class room. He turned his paper in. Yeah it wasn't finished but it was good enough he thought. He knew he would at least earn a 75 on it, while Gwen would earn a solid 98 for sure. He blushed kinda hard after that. Man, Gwen was such a smart girl. One day, some lucky guy was going to get her. He sighed.

The two were silent for a few more seconds as they went out into the hallway. More crowds of middle school children came passing by, talking and heading their way to the cafeteria and courtyard for lunch. Ben just quietly followed Gwen to her locker, hoping he would be able to talk to her. He had a few things he felt like he had to come clean to her about. He wasn't too sure, but he felt like he was starting to develop small feelings towards her, and he felt like a complete idiot for doing so. Maybe it was just because of the crazy day, with the awkward crap that happened. He didn't know, but it made his headache and his heart soar. Gwen was a ruby in his eyes.

He stood patiently as Gwen put away her things and got out her lunchbox from the top shelf of her locker. It was the same lunchbox she had when she was ten, light blue with the little cats and paw print designs on them. Grandpa Max got it for her for Christmas one year, and she'd been using it ever since. Besides her lap top and zune, her lunch box was one of her most favorite things she owned. She took great care of it and never let it out of her sight. Especially at school. 

She also never let anyone touch it without permission, since she'd fear they'd get their dirty hand prints all over it and the teen didn't at all want her prized item all scraggly looking. Gwen didn't like her stuff covered in filth from unwashed hands. It was just a major pet peeve she had.

The 13 year old didn't mind getting dirty herself, but when it came to her stuff especially her lunch box, then she had a major problem with it. Grandpa Max gave the best gifts, and this was by far the best one. She even had a name pick out for it. Caroline.  
Yeah, it was kinda stupid to be picking out names for your stuff especially if it was a lunchbox, but it was just so pretty and sophisticated that it deserves to have its own special name. Gwen smiled as she picked it up, looking at it with great love and interest. She put her other things away and closed her locker which shut making a quiet sound. Ben then cleared his throat, getting her attention.

"Hey um, Gwen?" He said, voice sounding a little unsure of what to say at first. She found herself blushing a little, but decided to just ignore it.

"Yeah?" She asked, wondering what he could want. She knew what he was going to say, at least she thought she did. Ben awkwardly stood there in silence for a good few seconds before opening up his mouth to speak again.

"Could we, talk? During lunch of course." He asked finding himself fidgeting with his fingers a little bit. Gwen giggled to herself, seeing how strangely cute Ben looked when he was nervous or embarrassed. How did she not notice that till now? The dweeb was kinda handsome. Gwen showed a smile, and nodded, making Ben feel more calm and eased up. He assumed she would want some more alone time today, and he wouldn't blame her for wanting some. 

At first, she didn't know what to say. As much as she wanted to avoid the awkwardness, Gwen knew she couldn't just run from it the rest of the day. She and Ben had to talk it out, and understand how each other felt. They had to come in terms with their feelings, and this was something Gwen felt very shy about. She knew she would feel better once it was all over with.

"Yeah, we can talk." She replied, tilting her head to the side which Ben insisted she wanted to start heading out to the courtyard. Ben found himself smiling.

"Ok cool. I'll walk with you there then I'll go in and grab my lunch real fast. It might take a minute due to the chaos that the lunchroom has sometimes." He said with a groan as they walked out of the doors and made their way into the courtyard.

"That sounds perfectly fine. I'll go and find us a spot in the corner, across from the kick ball area." She said pointing to the spot where she normally sat by herself. Ben nodded then crossed the kick ball stadium with his cousin, hands in his pants pockets strolling across. He then glanced down at Gwen's left hand, which was dangling down next to her side freely, since she didn't have that much stuff to carry. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling to reach out and grab it. 

He of course held himself back. If anyone saw him holding hands with his cousin he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it. It would be all over the school, and people would relentlessly make fun of him and Gwen for it. He found himself slumping a little, a big frown now across his face. Why couldn't life be fair?

"Here we are." Gwen's voice chimed in, breaking Ben away from his thoughts. He watched as she sat down and placed her books and lunchbox down next to her, then crossed both her legs and let out a relaxed sigh. Ben wanted to do the same, but he knew it was best to get to the lunch line as soon as possible, before all the children were lined up, pushing and shoving for the best slices of pizza. And besides, it was pudding day, and Ben knew damn well he wasn't going to miss pudding day.

"I'll be right back." He said, throwing his stuff down next to Gwen then taking off. "Watch my stuff for me." He called back, then continued running. Gwen gave him a thumbs up, then relaxed her body against the cold courtyard wall. She found herself very comfy.  
'All this moment needs is some music.' She thought, opening her book bag up and taking out her zune. While most kids had their own iPods or MP3 players, Gwen didn't mind having a zune instead. Sure it wasn't as good as other music players, but it was a good price and still played music just the same. Gwen was a simple girl, and didn't mind things like these.

She then got out her earphones and plugged them into the side, then turned on the power button and waited patiently for it to turn on. After waiting a few seconds, her device was working and ready to use. Gwen grinned and began to search through her music.

She decided to settle with something nice and simple, so she picked the song Landslide by the Dixie chicks and laid herself back, kicking her legs up over her back pack and closed her eyes. The music was like white feathers falling from the sky, soft and gentle. The main singer's voices were like fluffy cotton candy clouds, so clear and silky. Gwen found herself humming to the tune as the music went on.

**Well I've been afraid of changing**,  
**cause I, build my life, around you.**  
**But time makes you bolder, children**  
**get older, and I'm getting older to.**  
**Well I'm getting older, to.**

She couldn't help but sigh, but smile afterwards. The song was right, she was getting older and soon she would have to be making her own life decisions. And it worried her greatly. What was she to do with the rest of her life? Gwen held her breath for a moment then released, feeling a little bit less stressed. She had so much in her mind that she couldn't even think straight it seemed. She just couldn't stop thinking about Ben. He's the only thing that's been on her mind all day, nothing else. Just Ben.

Gwen sighed, turning up the volume a little louder on her zune, hoping the music would drown out her thoughts and all of her classmates loud laughter. She just needed time, and space to think. The song Landslide stopped playing a few minutes after, and the song Hero's by Alesso began to play through her ear buds. She looked at the time and began to start wondering where Ben had gone off to. Did it really take that long to grab lunch? I guess so. I mean, it's not like there was over 80 students in the 8th grade. She found herself sighing again. She was hoping he'd hurry up soon so they could just get to talking.  
***************************************

Ben waited impatiently in the lunch line, stomach growling and head beginning to hurt like heck. He groaned a little, just wanting to get his food and go. Who thought it would take over fifthteen minutes just to get some pizza and pudding? Ben sure didn't. 

"Damn it come on!" He whined as the line seemed to be moving forward. He felt himself get frustrated by the second as he wished he could just turn into Xlr8 to get his food faster. But he knew he would get in trouble. It wasn't like the principle's office was right around the corner. Ben winced.  
'I guess I'll just have to wait here.' He thought huffing a little. 'Just stand and wait.' 

After about another fewish minutes, the line finally became short and before he knew it he was up. Ben anxiously went up to view his choices and was so happy once he saw what was out. Not only did they have pizza and pudding, but french fries as well. Ben felt his heart melt into a blob of happiness.  
'Best lunch ever!' He thought with a sparkle in his eyes then grabbed for it. It had been a long while since his cafeteria served French fries. A good few months at most, and Ben was all for it.

After getting his lunch, he began to make his way back to the courtyard where Gwen was patiently waiting for him. He was excited that he was going to get the chance to join her for once, since Gwen was the type of person who liked to sit alone. Sometimes she sat with Cooper, who would keep her company on days he didn't have jazz band. But mostly she just stayed alone. Ben didn't understand why, she had friends, why didn't she sit with them? 

Just as he was about to leave the cafeteria, a thought came into his head about what Gwen was worried about earlier. She was worried about the whole pregnancy thing, when they had their little mess up in the locker room. Ben paused as he felt a knot form in his stomach. How could he of forgotten about that? 

'Was there a chance she could be?' Ben thought as his heart started to beat. It sounded silly, it really did the more he thought about it. The chances were pretty slim, but that wasn't going to stop a nervous wreck of a teen from freaking out about it.

With out hesitation, the 13 year old found himself racing down the hall while grabbing a tight hold to his lunch, while racing to the nurses office instead of going back to see Gwen. He knew she most likely wasn't pregnant, but Ben didn't want to take any chances. He was going to find out no matter what.

When he got there, he placed his lunch down and sat in one of the open seats, waiting nervously for the school nurse to notice him. It was her lunch break as well, so Ben pretty much expected her to be a little bit busy at the moment. When she realized that he was there, she put a side her food and looked at him with tired eyes. He assumed she had a pretty long day as well.

"What can I do for you Ben?" She asked scooting away her iced coffee, sounding a little annoyed. Ben awkwardly glanced at her, feeling his heart start to race knowing quite well what he was about to say would really start up a lot of questions. He adjusted himself in his seat, trying to get as comfy as he could before asking her for a favor. The nurse sat there waiting for him to answer.

"Well?" She said, voice sounding very tired and needy for some relaxiton time. Ben then realized she was still waiting on him and got himself to finally speak.

"Uh, yes sorry. Um, I need to burrow something." He replied, feeling his whole face turn red. The Nurse, who went by Miss Nancy gave him a "ok, what is it?" look as she opened up one of her drawers. Ben bit his bottom lip. He never felt this awkward in his whole life.

"A pregnancy test." He muttered, almost too quiet for anyone to hear. Miss Nancy raised her eyebrows as she leaned in closer, missing out on what the teen had just said.

"What? Speak up I can't hear you."

"A pregnancy test."

"Louder Tennyson I'm close to 60."

"I need to borrow a pregnancy test!" He shouted, annoyed by the fact that she couldn't understand him the first few times. Miss Nancy just sat there in total confusion, amazed but yet bewildered with the words that just flew out of his mouth. She then felt herself hold in laughter, as she assumed the boy didn't at all know how his own body worked. Oh would she have fun explaining this to him.

"Ben," She began, fighting the urge to laugh. "You do know that boys can't get pregnant, right?" Miss Nancy asked still holding in a heap of laughter. Ben sat there quiet at first, arms crossed across his chest and he began to feel himself blush again, feeling like an utter idiot for just yelling it out.   
'Great, now she thinks that I think I'm pregnant. Great going me.' He then sighed, trying to find a way to come back without looking like an ignorant fool. He knew how his body worked, he knew he couldn't have babies, but of course he found a way to sound like he was stupid. It never failed.

"I don't need it for me, I need it for someone else!" He stated, arms still calmly crossed over his chest. Nurse Nancy then nearly spit her coffee out when she heard that. She looked at him with now concerned eyes, both eyebrows now raised all the way as she waited for him to continue. But he didn't. She then cleared her throat, trying to put on a calm face before asking him who he needed it for. She took in a deep breath.

"I'm afraid to ask but, who's the pregnancy test for Ben?" Miss Nancy asked, mind racing as she stared at the boy in complete awe. Now it was Ben's turn to feel weird again. What was he going to say to her? How was he going to say this to her? How do you explain what happened in the locker room earlier when you don't even know what happened yourself. He took in a deep breath himself, heart now pounding and face blushier then ever. He quietly placed his arms in his lap and looked down, feeling the nurse's eyes still on him. Oh boy.

"I um, I rather not, say.." He replied, feeling his words shake as they left his mouth. Now fully calmed down, Miss Nancy looked at him and nodded, taking out a spare piece of paper and writing a few things down. She then clicked her pen and looked back up at him.

"I see," She started to say. "I can't exactly lend you this out, without knowing who it's being given to. It is considered school property, so it's important to know who's using it." She explained taking out one and showing it to him. Just looking at the test made his heart jump a little.

"But, I want to make sure, she's not.." Ben softly protested, feeling his own body begin to turn on him. He was sweating like crazy, afraid that Gwen might be and he wasn't there to find out. Miss Nancy grew very quiet after Ben spoke, thinking to herself an easier way to solve this whole issue. She then reached over and grabbed for her purse which was sitting nicely on her office desk. She then pulled out a second pregnancy test.

"Here." She said gently handing him it. Ben looked at it, then back at her, then back at the test and felt a sudden feeling of relief go over him. He felt his mind settle, but found his heart still beating anxiously. He assumed he was just determined to find out.

"Now," Miss Nancy began, getting Ben's full attention once more. "That's my own personal test, not the schools, so I can make an exception." She said crossing her arms and giving him a slight glance. Ben held the test in his right palm, gently squeezing it till he was sure he had a fine grip on it. He didn't know what to say, thank you? I mean, this was already awkward enough for him. But he considered to do it anyway.

"T-Thank you." He said, speaking in a soft voice. Miss Nancy smiled at him, showing that everything was going to be alright.

"You're welcome Ben. If your girlfriend or whoever is pregnant, I would like you to come back and tell me. It doesn't have to be right away, but it has to be soon. Keep the test until then, but I would like to know." Ben nodded, not really liking what he was agreeing to but just went a long with it anyways. If it meant finding out if Gwen was or not, he guessed it was fair. Even if it meant more embarrassment.

"Ok, um. I guess I should be heading back to lunch now." He replied, gathering up his lunch then placing the pregnancy test into his cluttered pocket. Miss Nancy nodded, seeing he only had 25 more minutes to finish lunch before having to go back off to class. He then turned back to her, right before he was out of her office and kinda stalled by the door.

"Hey um, Nurse Nancy?"

"Yes Ben?"

"Can you, can you not tell anyone I was here?" He asked, voice shaking a little. Miss Nancy nodded, promising she'd keep his little secret. Yeah it wasn't the right thing to do, but she could tell that this whole thing meant a lot to Ben, and keeping his girlfriend or whoever's pregnancy a secret was something she had to keep quiet. Yet, it still made her a little worried.

"Of course I will. I won't say anything. And if your girlfriend or whoever is pregnant, I'm willing to hook up the ultra sound for you two." She said, showing the young teen a smile. Ben felt himself get a little nervous after she said that. He didn't want Gwen to be pregnant. They were far too young, and the fact that they were cousins just made it worse. What would the school think if they found out? Or their parents? Or even worse, Grandpa Max.

Ben sighed deeply.  
"Ok, I'll check in with you shortly." He said, giving her a fake smile then leaving her office. Ben silently walked down the hall, holding his lunch tray tightly in his hands. So much was going on, in his head and heart. Thought after thought began rushing back and fourth as he continued down the hallway. The moment he returned to Gwen he knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to give her that pregnancy test.


	3. As if life wasn't awkward enough.

"There you are! What took you so long? Was the line like 4,000 light years away?" Gwen asked as Ben quietly sat down besides her. He didn't say anything at first, still kinda shook up after what had happened at the nurse's office. He found himself not even that hungry anymore, too upset to even touch his french fries. Gwen waited for him to speak but then started to grow concerned when he didn't. She then tried again.

"Hello, I said was the lunch line 4,000 light years away? Ben? Ben?" She then placed her hand on his shoulder and he quietly looked at her. The look he gave her made Gwen's heart stop. His eyes were full of worry, and it was the kind of worry that nobody liked to see. The type of worry that would lead to greater problems. Gwen felt her heart now begin to race as Ben let out a sigh then looked back at her. He then opened his mouth to speak.

"Gwen, there's something you're going to have to do for me." He said, voice extremely serious. The tone he was giving her was really starting to get her worried. Ben was almost never serious, so all of this was starting to make her pretty concerned. What did her cousin mean? What was he trying to say? How much worry did she have to feel. Gwen held her breath for a few seconds untill she had the courage to ask Ben what favor he wanted from her. She knew she had to prepare.

"What's wrong Ben? What favor is it?" She asked, voice now getting a bit quiet as she felt her self begin to worry again. Ben just kept silent, looking at her with great love in his eyes, and Gwen could see it. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the test, gently placing it into her hands without saying a word. Gwen went absolutely quiet.

He looked at her, as she looked down at the pregnancy test with wide eyes. Eyes full of fear and angst. She didn't say anything, no, she just sat there as her throat felt dry and her stomach started to flip flop around. Her lungs tightened, and she felt like her whole world was crashing down on her. Her breathing began to pick up speed as tears began to roll down her flushed cheeks. The swarm of emotion that was running through her felt like a hurricane inside. And Ben could tell that this was going to be one of the hardest things to overcome in her life.

"Ben, I...where did you get this?" The orange haired teen asked, looking at him with frustration and confusion. Ben was out of words himself. Exhausted from all that had already happened.

"That's not what's important at the moment. And you know what is." He replied kinda coldly. Ben then grew quiet again as Gwen was trying to figure out wether to cry or hold in her tears. She wished she could do both. She couldn't believe it had come down to this. 

"Ben I'm not pregnant...so please don't worry me like this!" She said handing him back the test with annoyance written all over her face. Ben then quickly shoved it back at her, with a little bit of force, surprising Gwen a little. He then glared.

"Gwen this is rather important. Incase you didn't hear me before, you know what is." He answered keeping it clamped down in her hand. Gwen's eyes then showed more anger and frustration by the minute as she battled her cousin over the pregnancy test. She then threw it back at him, hitting him in the jaw.

"How could you pull something like this?! I'm your cousin not your girlfriend! Stop worry about me and just move on with your life!" She yelled rather loudly, causing a few kids to stop playing their game of kick ball and stare. A few started whispering to each other out of concern. More tears began to roll down her cheeks as she tried to wipe them away. Ben didn't say anything.

After a few seconds of gathering her thoughts and words, Gwen was ready to talk again. Her voice now more quieter, and mood pretty calm.

"We made a simple mistake, it doesn't mean that I should worry about being you know, so stop it. It didn't even go in that far. I'm fine." She then sat herself back down, having to almost get up. She wanted to run, but she knew she couldn't. Ben would only catch up with her with that watch of his.

She knew he would get in trouble for it at school, but Ben was a rulebreaker. And he would break any type of rule there was to get his pride and justice. The boy was a rebel, but a rebel who was a hero.

After what seemed like endless minutes of silence, the bell finally rang, stating that recess and lunch was officially over. All the kids in the courtyard groaned, seeing that they would have to stop their kickball game and go back to class. They began to gather up their belongings and head back inside. A few kids started going on and on about wanting recess to last forever instead of having to back in, while others seemed glad it was over. Gwen, seeing that her cousin wasn't going to speak to her, started to stand up to go but was unexpectedly pulled back down by Ben.

Unexpectedly, he pulled her on to his lap, and wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his head on her back. Gwen's face reddened as she looked back at him surprised, seeing how unpredictable his actions were. He didn't say anything, he just held on to her.

"Ben?" She said, feeling his grip tighten a little, but not too tight. He didn't want to hurt her, or "their kid" if she was. Gwen just sat there, not knowing if she should yank him off of her or just sit still in his lap. She then spoke up again, seeing that they were now the only two kids in the courtyard.

"Ben, we need to get up and get back to class." She said, almost whispering to him. The brunette didn't talk, he just held on to her, embracing her waist to his chest. He then began to nuzzle his nose a little near her neck, which made Gwen shutter and gasp a little. She had no idea he was going to pull something like that. She found herself blushing up a storm now, finding this whole situation pretty awkward. What if her classmates saw this? Or their teachers? Hell, anybody? But Ben didn't move a muscle. He just held on.

Gwen found herself now sighing, seeing Ben wasn't going to let her go. She then reached for her zune again and turned it on, then grabbed for her book bag which was nearby to get her speakers. With Ben still holding her, she found it kinda hard to reach for it at first, but Ben saw what she was trying to do and decided to scoot in a little closer for her. She then plugged her speakers in and began to search for a few songs. If Ben was going to make her sit here in silence, then she was going to have a little bit of noise for herself. After a minute or so of searching, she finally found something she wanted to listen to. Gwen pressed play and turned the volume down, only making it loud enough for the two cousins to hear. Someday by Nickleback began playing.

How the hell we'd wind up like this?  
Why weren't we able, to see the signs  
that we'd miss? And try and turn the  
tables. I wish you'd unclench your  
fist, and unpack your suitcase. Lately  
there's been too much of this, but  
don't think it's too late.

Ben wasn't a huge fan of Nickleback himself, but he personally didn't mind this one song. He remembered when the two of them were 10, Gwen used to play that song at night to get herself to sleep. It wasn't too loud, but it was loud enough for him to hear. It also helped Ben get to sleep as well, when he was having some trouble. Sometimes he found himself missing people, and Someday really helped him get through his sadness. But the best part about the song was that It made him think of Summer.

As the music went on, Ben began to move his hands around Gwen's stomach in a protective like manner. Gwen found herself gasp again, seeing that Ben was slightly going up her shirt a little. She then turned to him with a reddened face and stared him down. But of course, Ben didn't look up.

"Dweeb, what are you doing?" She asked, feeling herself get all embarrassed again. This time, Ben's head went up and looked at her, for the first time in forever it seemed. He saw that she was annoyed, but that didn't stop him from smiling.

"Caring for the both of you." He answered, gently hugging her a little. Gwen felt her heart start to beat again as he said that. What if the dorky loser was right? What if she really was? Gwen found herself smiling again, not really sure why but liking the fact that Ben was acting so responsible. 

She thought it was oddly sweet, seeing a pubescent idiot all of a sudden caring for her. She didn't want to admit it but, she loved what he was doing for her. His gentle breath against her back, while his lanky but strong arms embracing her tiny waist. Yeah, he was a pinhead at times, and could really get on her nerves, but at this moment, Gwen then felt something suddenly spark inside her. Something wonderful was beginning to happen.

"Ben," She began to say, and his head rose up.

"Yeah?"

"Could you hand me that pregnancy test?" She asked, voice once again gentle like a velvet dove. The neutral expression on Ben's face quickly sprung into a full blown smile as he heard that. He quickly let go of her and dove into his cluttered pants pocket, hoping to find it. He then pulled it out seconds later.

"Here." He said, handing it over to his cousin. "What made you change your mind?" Ben asked as she looked over the test with nervous glances. Her emerald eyes looked back up at him and she gently placed it safely inside her pocket. Making sure it didn't fall out.

"I don't know. I guess I just should." She replied, looking down at the grass as Ben embraced her once more. The truth was, she just wanted to get this whole thing out of the way. She knew for a fact she wasn't pregnant, and she really just wanted Ben off of her back to be honest. Even if it meant having to have it with her. Another part of her really liked the care she was receiving from him, and couldn't help but day dream a little. If she actually was, would Ben actually treat her the way he's been? With love and respect? 

Would he hug her and gently embrace her tired body with his protective arms with a smile? Gwen couldn't help but wonder, and all of it was making her heart pound with joy. And all she needed was to test herself.

Gwen then stopped, feeling reality hit her hard and she shook her head. With all the excitement going on, she forgot how screwed she and Ben were going to be if she really truly was. 

'I know I'm not, and to be honest I don't think it's worth it.' She thought as she lightly touched it in her pocket. She kept poking at it, as if deciding weather or not she should really use it. How wrong or right could she be? Damn, not even did she know. But Ben was confident, well at least she thought he was about it.

She wanted to ask him, but was pretty afraid to. Was there even a way to find out if she was besides using the pregnancy test? She doubted Ben had an alien that was able to do that. His aliens were for fighting against evil, not finding out if someone was carrying. Gwen swallowed kinda hard. Maybe it was best if she didn't. 

She figured if she was indeed pregnant, her body would show her some signs. No such signs yet. Sure, it was only the first day, and it would most likely take a few days to actually start feeling like she was. Starting with morning sickness and such. Gwen heavily sighed.

'I don't want to be pregnant.' She thought as she felt Ben lay his head on her back again. 'And if I was, I don't know what I would do.' She then decided it was best to push a side all these thoughts and worry about them later. She remembered she was still at school, hanging around the courtyard when she was suppose to be out of lunch. 

Gwen then checked the time on her Zune, and saw they were both about 10 minutes late for their classes. It didn't really matter to Gwen, since she had a study hall, but it indeed meant something for Ben. He had Health, and Gwen was praying that he would pay attention and learn something in there. She then lightly tapped him.

"Ben."

"Yeah?" He said, voice sounding sleepy.

"We've been out here long enough, it time for us to get back to class." She said as the door to the courtyard opened. Both hearts jumped as one of the middle school teachers came out with a cart full of soccer balls. They both guessed it was time for the high school lunch hour to begin. Ben groaned.

"I don't wanna go back to class." He whined getting up and grabbing for his bag. Gwen chuckled, finding her cousin's complaining rather kinda adorable. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. Maybe he wasn't as annoying as he used to be. Or maybe she just likes the fact that he was showing signs of enjoying her company. Forget the signs, it was a fact. Especially after what he said.  
'Caring for you both.' Ben's voice said, replaying in her head. She then broke out into blush and bit her bottom lip. 'Damn it Ben.' She thought as she watched the Highschool teacher unlock the door for the older kids to come out.

"Ben we have to go now they're coming out." She whispered as she quickly gathered her belongs. Ben then quickly went for his watch, looking through which alien could get them out of the courtyard without being seen by anyone. Sometimes going Alien was his only option. Either that or detention for being tardy.

"What are you doing?" She asked as Ben found what he was looking for.

"What does it look like dorkus?" He hissed as he gave her a "are you kidding me look." Gwen glared right back at him as she heard the older kid's voices getting louder. They were right around the corner, getting ready to set up a game of kick ball or soccer.

"Well hurry up! They're coming!" She said as Ben raised his hand to activate the omnitrix. After slamming it with his hand, the green glow began to form around him, making him transform into his chosen alien. Seconds later the green glow dispersed leaving Stinkfly in it's place. Gwen groaned.

"Stickfly are you kidding me?" She bellowed as Ben grabbed her and the both began to take off into the sky. He rolled his eye as they flew over the school tops not really wanting to bicker with his cousin at the moment. After they landed he would. As Ben flew Gwen over the courtyard and school, he scanned around the roof tops trying to find a place to land. 

He knew landing infront of the school was only going to cause chaos and puzzled faces, so he figured it was best to land somewhere safe on the roof. Gwen then looked up at him as he flew in place, trying to decide on where to go.

"Hello, what are you doing?" She asked as she began to feel frustrated build up inside her. Ben then sighed, quickly deciding to land somewhere near the flag pole, but not too close to it. If Gwen complained about landing one more time, he swore he'd stick her up there and make herself climb down from it. It's been a hard enough day already.

When they finally landed, Ben safely put Gwen down and unactivated, turning back into his normal kid self. Gwen dusted off her shirt, finding a little bit of green goo on her, since Stinkfly had the tendency to drool when he flew. She could've sworn she was used to it by now, but realized she was way off. She figured it was best not to say anything. 

The two were quiet for a couple of minutes. Not really saying anything, just looking around the roof and at the passing people below. Gwen sat herself down, realizing it was kinda too late to go to study hall and the same went for Ben. He most likely wouldn't of paid any attention to Health, instead, he'd be fiddling around with his watch.

"Or his private area." Gwen said, face then turning a deep shade of red as she realized she had said that thought out loud. Mortified that it slipped, she turned to Ben who wasn't at all paying any attention to her. His back was turned, looking down at the high schoolers in the courtyard where they just were, watching them kick the ball around. Gwen watched Ben in more silence for a few seconds before deciding on if he wanted company or not. Sometimes it was hard to tell with him.

"Ben?" She said, as he sat himself down and let a few pebbles slide out of his palm. 

"What?" He said back, not at all turning to face her or even move. He just sat there like a stump. Gwen quietly walked over to him, trying to find wether she should continue talking with him or overall just leave him alone. She knew it was best to talk, since he was her cousin after all. And her only ticket in getting down off of the school roof. Ben then let out a sigh.

"I just want this day to be over with." He concluded, making Gwen nod in agreement. It had been a rough day. An awkward major wtf sort of day. The type of day that makes you just want to lie down and take a nap. Gwen was feeling exactly what he was feeling, tiredness. She then sat down right besides him. 

"I want this day to be over with to. Trust me, it's been one hell of a day." She then turned to him, giving the boy somewhat of a smile. Showing him that everything was going to be ok, but, to him it didn't seem like it would. To Ben, sometimes things just plain out felt black and white. Ben sighed again.

"I'm going home." He coldly replied, standing up and walking towards the edge of the roof. Gwen's eyebrows raised up and she quickly stood up herself, grabbing for his shirt sleeve.

"Wait Ben you just can't leave school now!" Gwen answered, making her cousin come to a halt. Ben then turned back to her, his emerald eyes meeting up with hers. Ben was silent for a few seconds before shaking his head and turning away. He had had enough.

"Gwen, I need to go home and rest my head. Today has just been a disaster. I'll see you tomorrow." He answered back, heading for the edge of the roof. Gwen stood there in silence for a few moments kinda appalled at what he was doing. She then furrowed her eyebrows and frowned, racing over to him quickly.

"Wait!" She called, trying to grab for his arm. Ben stopped and glanced back, showing her his tired pale emerald eyes. 

"What Gwen?" He asked, crossing his arms with what she couldn't tell was frustration or just drowsiness. Most likely both. She moved back an inch.

"Let me go with you." She spoke, as if almost in a little whisper. Ben looked at her, as if she had lost her mind. That was one of the last things Ben ever thought he would hear leaving out of Gwen's mouth. Since when was she the type to want to skip school? Gwen was all for responsibility. So why was she pulling this now? Ben thought it over for a sec. How much trouble would they really get into? Skipping the rest of school and such? He didn't know, but the thought made him wildly grin.

"Since when does a smart geek like you want to miss out on the rest of school?" Ben asked, showing a devilish smirk on his face. Gwen glared back and crossed both of her arms, realizing her cousin had got her. Hey, he had a point.

"Oh shut it freak face. I'm only doing it because, because..." She found herself kinda trailing off. Why was she willing to leave early in the first place? She was doing it for herself, right? Gwen found herself burning in the cheeks as she remembered Ben was waiting for her to answer. Sometimes she just wanted to disappear. Ben giggled, seeing how embarrassed he had made her. She was starting to look cute to him again.

"Because what?" He asked, leaning in closer to her. Gwen then averted her eyes to the left and huffed out some hot air. She hated it when he playfully teased, it felt worse then actual teasing. Felt like a stab to the heart but with a plastic toy sword. 

"Because I feel, like I need to ok? Do you really have to know everything?" She barked as Ben turned around with a smile on his face. With all the playful bickering going on he had almost forgotten about the crap that had gone down that day. It was weird to think, but something inside him said that all the mistakes that happened earlier had happened for a few very special reasons, and this was one of them. Man, he felt like he was 10 all over again.

"Sure Gwen." He snickered, twisting his watch ready to activate it. "I suppose you can come over or whatever. My mom and dad won't be home till 7 so, we got some time." He finished, slamming down his hand as he decided what alien he wanted. Seconds later a green glow surrounded the two and left moments as Ben began to transform. Moments after doing so, the green glow left and there stood 4 Arms, tall and muscled, ready for battle as if. Gwen's heart skipped a beat. She then turned away.

"Well, let's get going shall we?" Ben asked, in his 4 Arms voice of course. Gwen sheepishly nodded and Ben bent down and grabbed her, picking her up gently and placing her in his strong red arms carefully. He held her bridal style, then started to head for the roof ledge, ready to jump off. He felt Gwen hold on to him tight.

"Don't worry, I won't drop you if that's what you're worried about." He said, making Gwen look up in surprise as if almost he could read her mind. Gwen bit her lip.

"I know." She said, "Thanks, Superman." as they jumped down off of the school's roof top.


	4. Home for the evening.

The two walked in complete silence on the way home, not looking at each other as they continued down the chalky narrowed side walk. Ben still held Gwen in his four arms, well, the first two pairs were holding her while the other two carried their book bags. Gwen held on to Ben still, finding herself still wrapping her arms gently around his neck as if they were still about to jump off of the roof. She didn't even notice she was still doing it.

She looked up at him, seeing his eyes focused on the street up ahead as if he was watching out for any passing cars. The streets were pretty much cleared, so they didn't have to worry about anyone seeing a giant red four armed alien walking around. It was evening hours, but not late evening hours, so nobody was really out yet. They were either still at work or school.

As Gwen continued to look up at him, she started to feel her face blush again and heart start to thump unexpectedly. A slight glimmer formed in her eyes, and a feeling of protection and safety washed over the girl. She didn't know why, but she started to slowly begin to take notice how handsome Ben's 4 Arms form kinda was. She found herself smiling a little, almost wanting to twiddle her hair with her fingers. After thinking that, she quickly shook away that thought and rolled her eyes at herself. She almost wanted to yell at her mind.

'Since when did I start thinking not that only Ben was kinda cute, but his aliens as well?' She thought as she quickly looked away and made herself look at the passing grass. Today had been weird enough, she didn't want to start day dreaming about 4 Arms now. Heck any of his aliens. She felt herself cringe.

'Enough with the thoughts Gwen. He's your freaking cousin remember? He's your dorky freakazoid doofus brain cousin. He's not even slightly that cute, he's family.' She thought, trying not to scold her thinking to harshly. But of course, she couldn't seem to help it. There was just something charming about him, and those crime fighting aliens he would use and call heros. She just couldn't narrow it down, how she was really feeling. And it drove her crazy.

'All I want to do is just relax.' She thought as Ben continued to carry her down the street. It was now Bens turn to look down at his cousin, realizing she was still holding onto him.  
'That's weird, she's still holding on to me. We jumped off of the roof a while ago. Is she doing this on purpose?' Ben thought as Gwen's eyes looked up at his, but quickly turned back away. Now he knew something was up. He thought maybe it was best to put her down, but not yet. He kinda liked the feeling of carrying her, bridal style that is. Ben, feeling his self start to blush again, quickly slapped away those thoughts. Damn this was getting too much.

'Then again, I did hold on to her in the courtyard for almost a half an hour..so, this is nothing.' He bashfully thought, looking back down at her. Heck, maybe she was showing the affection back. But, was it really that type of affection? Ben really want to know, but how do you ask something like that? What exactly to you say?

After a few more minutes of not talking, Gwen decided it was best to break the silence. There was already too much of that going on between the two today, and she was getting pretty sick of it. She had a feeling that Ben was to. 

"So um, I noticed you haven't turned back yet. Usually it deactivates by now." She said, voice cutting the clear quietness. Ben didn't look down at her right away, instead he kept walking, eyes looking straight ahead.

"Yeah, I was wondering that. Also wondering why your arms are still around my neck." He answered, showing a small grin. Gwen then looked up at his neck, realizing she was still embracing him and quickly pulled away all red in the face. She then looked back down at the chalky sidewalk.

"Oh haha. Wipe that stupid grin off of your face Ben. I didn't even notice I was." She lied still not looking back up at him. Ben sneered, in a humorous way of course, having a feeling that Gwen was bull shitting him. He knew his cousin far too well.

"Sure Gwen." He replied coming to a stop and putting her back down. She then quickly turned to face him and crossed both of her arms annoyed. She also had some questions for him.

"Oh yeah then, then why were you still carrying me huh? We jumped off the roof 10 minutes ago dweeb. Not 1." She retorted back. Ben just rolled his eyes at her, not wanting her to snap back useless commentary. Instead he just handed her back her school bag and walked ahead of her. He wanted to hide his blushing.

"Because you kept holding on to me." He cleverly replied, now grinning again at her annoyance. Gwen then found herself groaning, realizing she wasn't going to get anything out of him. She wanted to continue this conversation, but saw that she was going to get no where. A few seconds passed, and the omnitrix went off, deactivating Ben from 4 Arms. He was back to his self again.

"Damn." He said, shoving his hands into his pockets. Gwen giggled.

"Good to see you back to your ugly self again." She smirked making Ben look at her with sharp eyes. He stuck his tongue out at her, but she just took it as a sign of winning. Man it felt good to tease him again. But of course, Ben always had some tricks up his sleeve. He cleared his throat and grinned.

"Oh, it that because you find 4 Arms better looking then me? I didn't know you had a thing for my aliens Gwen my god you are weird." He replied, nudging at her and smirking. After laughing a little he waited for his cousin to say something back to him, but she didn't. He looked back over at her and the look she was giving him was a look that could shatter glass.

He then stopped smiling the moment she gave him her most victorious death glare, which caused him to freeze in place. When she gave him that look, he knew it meant to shut up. Gwen then silently turned away in embarrassment.

"Come on Gwen I was just kidding. My aliens are pretty weird looking and I know you wouldn't find them handsome or what not. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He replied placing his hand on her shoulder. Gwen didn't say anything. The only sound he got out of her was a sigh. She then closed her eyes.

"I know Ben, I know." She said as she began to walk off ahead. Seeing he made her upset again for like the hundredth time that day, Ben quickly ran up to her. He was beginning to get upset with himself, seeing that Gwen was actually taking these things seriously. Something she normally did not. Insults were insults.

"Gwen I mean it, I'm sorry. I thought you could, handle it. It was just a joke." He said again, walking a long side her. Gwen finally looked over at him, giving her cousin a look that sent mixed emotions to him. It was getting harder and harder by the minute to tell what was on her mind. He just couldn't say.

"Ben, there's some things that I don't take as jokes. And this is one of them." She answered back, now giving him a frown. Ben stood still for a second, processing all the information she had just given to him. Why was she all of a sudden so up tight about that now? He had no idea a joke would really get her upset. Usually when he joked about her yeah she would get mad, but not as upset as she was now. What was with her tonight? Most of all, why was she acting weird around him? Was it all because of this morning?

He sighed, knowing they had to get more things straightened out. Ben ran back up to Gwen and decided it was best to change the subject untill later on when they were sturdy again. He placed his hands back in his pants pockets while swinging his book bag over his shoulder. He then began to whistle a little before beginning to talk again.

"So uh, what are you going to do about your parents when you're over my house?" He asked, forgetting about his Aunt Natalie and Uncle Frank. Gwen shrugged, not really knowing herself.

"Well, my parents both started working late now. Not being able to come home untill 9 so, I guess that's a reason to stay with you for a while." She replied as they finally got into Ben's neighborhood. 

"Sounds good. Like I said, my parents are at work as well so, we have the rest of the day to ourselves untill they get back at 7. It's 1:33 now." 

After hearing him say "the rest of the day to ourselves", Gwen felt a strange spark inside her seem to light up. It was a weird feeling, but a good feeling. She didn't know what it was but she knew that everything was going to be ok. What was really bound to happen?

" That means I'm going to have to go back to my house late, and I have stuff to do." She said as they both began to walk up his driveway.

"Well you can do it here if you want. I have stuff of my own to do."

"Like what homework?" 

"Nah, more like World of Warcraft." He said as he lifted up the welcome mat on the pourch rug and grabbed for the key. Gwen just found herself face palming.

"My god Ben is that all you do?" She asked as he unlocked the door to his house. Ben made a face at her as they stepped inside while placing their things down by the stairs.

"What's wrong with that? It's a good game!" He retorted as she unzipped her bag.

"Yeah, a good game for senseless dorks who can only play with such little brain cells." She answered gathering her school work and heading for the kitchen. Ben just shook his head, and headed for his bedroom where his lap top was. He had some Warcrafting to do.

"I'll be down in a minute." He called from the top of the stairs. Gwen nodded, not answering him back but she knew he'd be back down soon. Ben raced up to the hallway and casually walked over to his bedroom door and opened it. He hoped that playing online for a little while would get somethings off of his mind. Help him rethink a little bit.

"And maybe stop thinking about Gwen." He said out loud to nobody in perticular. But he knew that was impossible, since she was just down stairs in his kitchen. He sighed. He wished he could stop thinking about her.

Ben opened up his lap top and began to log on onto his account. Video games, especially World of Warcraft, really helped the teen release a lot of stress. He was a racing hormone, and it seemed nowadays the only thing to get the boy to calm his mind was playing his game. That and music. Mostly video games. Ben started to play, hitting on the radio so he had something to keep him company for a bit. The radio began to play Somewhere only we know by Keane, which was one of his favorites.

Ben played for sometime, for at least half an hour before noticing how much time had passed him. With what seemed like 5 minutes only became 30 at the end. His bedroom door opened up, with Gwen stepping into his room with a look of "Are you kidding me." written all across her face. He'd promise to be back down a long while ago.

"What are you doing? You were suppose to be back down a half an hour ago." Gwen hissed as Ben was about to begin another round.

"Well excuse me, I lost track of time. Now don't bother me I'm busy leading another round. I have other players I have to nurture so, I'll be down later." He replied not looking up at her once. With all gaming going on, Ben seemed to have forgotten about his worries involving Gwen. Which was a good thing but, he knew sooner or later he'd have to eventually deal with them. But at the moment, the young teen had the WOW world all in his hands. Gwen groaned.

"Ben!" She said, crossing both of her arms. Her cousin didn't look up once, lost in his gaming. She then sighed, seeing she'd lost another battle and decided to just let him be. She'd figure she'd give him another hour or so on his own, then he'd HAVE to come out of his room and spend some time with her.

"Fine then, I'm going to take a shower." She decided, seeing she had most of her homework completed.

"Don't fall in and drown." Was all Ben said as his fingers tapped away on the key board. Gwen then stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't worry I won't dweeb." She retorted back as she closed his door and left. Gwen entered the hallway and began to walk down it muttering stuff under her breath. She figured a nice long shower would do the trick, hopefully getting some things off of her worried mind. Gwen opened the bathroom door up and entered in. She closed the door, then went over to the shower and began to change out of her clothes.

As she was about to take her shirt off, something fell out of her pocket and landed on the bathroom floor with a small thump. Gwen put her shirt back down and looked to see what had dropped. She felt her heart sank as she stared at it in disbelief. The stupid pregnancy test. Gwen heavily gulped.

"Damn you Ben." She sneered and quickly drew eyes away from it. She had completely forgotten about it, and the fact that it was STILL there made her more then pissed. And it sucked knowing that the answer she and Ben were both kinda curious to know was now lying there on the cold bathroom floor. She then turned back at it, feeling her body get warm again. She couldn't keep avoiding this anytime longer now. She knew she had to face this.

"I guess this is it." She quietly said to herself while carefully picking it up with shakey fingers. She then proceeded to the toilet, sitting down on it and pulled down her pants and underwear. After all of that was down, Gwen took the test and placed it underneath her body and began to pee. After peeing on it, she placed it on the bathroom sink and began to pull her pants back up. 

She then sat there, waiting for it to reveal the results. It said on the back that it would take at least 2 minutes or so for it to show up. It was the longest 2 minutes that she ever had to wait for, and the lingering results were more then unbearable to her. She felt her hands begin to shake, as she kept on checking on it every 5 seconds or so. Waiting was more then painful.

"Come on, come on." She eagerly whispered at it. "Show already." After what seemed like forever, the results finally showed up. She gulped, afraid to look at it but knew that she had to. After 15 painful seconds of having her eyes shut, Gwen finally opened them and felt herself relieved. It was negative.

"Oh thank god." She said, finally catching her words and breathing normally again. With all the tension she could of sworn she was going to have a heart attack. She felt so much better knowing she wasn't. A big smile spread across her face as she looked down on it. No more worrying.

Gwen then took a spare piece of toilet paper and wiped the pee of of the P test, then slipped it back into her pants pocket.  
'I wonder if I should tell Ben.' She thought as she flushed the toilet. 'Maybe I should wait, I still have to take my shower. I think I'll wait till tonight. There's no hurry.'

She then turned the shower on and slipped out of her clothes, placing them neatly on the floor. Gwen then stepped inside the shower and let out a relaxed gasp as the warm water hit the back of her neck. Maybe today wasn't all that bad. It wasn't positive, so that was a plus. Gwen could feel a weight being lifted off of her shoulders as the water ran down her face.

'I shouldn't worry so much anymore. Made a few mistakes today but it's all cleared up. Right?' She began to think as she placed shampoo into her orange locks. Nothing to it. She then closed her eyes, and allowed the rush of the water drizzle over her like a water fall, feeling nothing but warmth and comfort. 

'Nothing to worry about.' She thought. 'Everything is going to be ok for now on.' Gwen then let her mind settled, standing alone in the misty shower with her thoughts beginning to wonder again. Tomorrow was Friday, meaning she just had to get through one more day of school. Then she would have the weekend to herself. At least, that's what she thought she wanted to do.

"Maybe I could spend it with Ben." She bashfully said to herself as the shampoo suds fell out of her hair. She couldn't quite wrap her head around it. All day long she had been feeling certain feelings towards him, feelings that only you feel when you have a crush on someone. It could just be a crush. A small one. It's not like she was acting upon it. Gwen sighed, feeling as if she was stumped.

'If it is what I think I'm feeling, and it is a crush, what do I do about it?' She thought as the water trailed down her back. 'Do I accept these feelings and move on? Or, do I do something about it?' Gwen felt her cheeks heat up again as the thought of Ben and his cocky smirk appeared in her head. She couldn't seem to help it. Before today when she thought of him, she would just see a dorky troublemaker. But now things were much different. She was seeing a handsome boy instead in that place. No more trips to Doofus Ville. She found herself twiddling her fingers around some of her orange locks.

"So maybe it is a crush. So what, it's not like I need to tell anybody." She said out loud to herself as she turned the shower off, finishing up cleaning. "That just means I need to keep quiet about it. Especially around Ben." After concluding on what to do, Gwen turned off the shower and stepped on to the bathroom mat, feeling the fuzziness touch the bottom of her feet. The steam in the bathroom was clearing, since the door was slightly a jar. 

Gwen grabbed for a towel and wrapped it around her warm wet body, seeing as the fabric cling to her as if it was giving out hugs. She then grabbed for another towel and began to dry herself off, mainly her hair. The towel ruffled through her wet locks in a soothing like manner which seemed to calm her down. That shower really had done the trick. Gwen smiled.

"Well, my head is now clear." She said as she placed the wet towel down on the floor. After a few more minutes of drying off the rest of her body, Gwen began to get dressed again, putting her underware on first, then her training bra. She found herself sighing.

"I wish these would grow." She grumped. "Then I would look some what better." 

Gwen placed her favorite shirt on, (the classic cat shirt) and then went for her cream colored pants. After getting fully dressed she picked up her two used towels and opened the door, heading back to Ben's room. He was still doing the same things he had been previously before she had showered.

Ben laid on his stomach, hands tapping away quietly as he shouted at his lap top monitor, obviously frustrated. Gwen rolled her eyes, but somehow managed to smile. She cleared her throat.

"Still playing World of Warcraft?" She asked as Ben slammed down on his key board. He groaned with a nod.

"Yeah. And I would be if the other online players weren't being such ass hats. One guy ran off with my two best swords and now I'm stuck with this stupid stick." He explained, resting his forehead on his lap top keys. Gwen giggled a little bit then walked over to his bed side and sat herself down. Slowly, Ben's head lifted up and their eyes met. It was once again silent for a minute or so.

"So um, how was your shower?" He asked, feeling the room once again fill up with awkwardness. Gwen shrugged, not really knowing how to reply back to that. Who still askes these questions nowadays?

"Fine I guess." She answered as the pregnancy test entered back into her thoughts. 'Should I tell him now?' She thought to herself, feeling her palms begin to sweat. She then shook her head. Nah, wait till way later. Ben then nodded and his eyes drew away from hers and back to his lap top.

"You wanna, do something now?" He asked as he began to log himself off of his account. Gwen watched him do so, and showed him a nod. She thought he'd never ask. I mean, He did just spend over an hour on his lap top playing WOW, so of course she wanted to do something else. But what?

"Sure. Um, what would you like to do?" She asked as Ben closed his top down. He scratched his head.

"Well, we could watch YouTube videos, or a movie. We could set up the water slide in the backyard if you're interested in that." He shyly said looking out the window. Gwen knew he was out of ideas when he brought up the water slide. It's been years since they've used that thing. The last time they found themselves using it was when they both were 10.

She smiled at the memories.  
"The water slide, really?" She said snorting a tiny bit from laughter. Ben rolled his eyes but broke out into a smile. Yes really.  
"Well then you think of something Missy." He replied poking at her shoulder. Gwen nodded then began to think. What could two bored cousins do on a Thursday afternoon?

"Well, why don't we just talk? You know, discuss things?" She found herself saying, not really sure on what else to do. Ben scratched his head.

"So like, talk about anything?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. What should we talk about?"

There was light silence for a moment or two as both cousins thought over what to say. There was a lot to talk about, but both felt a little too shy to say. Ben then decided to take the fall.

"For starters, I'm sorry about today.." He spoke, feeling his heart begin to beat again while face turn crimson. She looked over at him, and could tell he was feeling very uncomfortable about it. She was feeling the same way, but glad he brought it up. She gave him a smile in return.

"Ben, it wasn't your fault. I slipped." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder. Eyes down at the time, Ben looked up at his cousin and their emerald eyes met each other. He then looked away and shyly glanced back at the bed sheets. Gwen wasn't understanding what he meant.

"No Gwen. It was. I uh, shouldn't of...you know..." he trailed off while his eyes were now looking at his posters on the wall. She then noticed the red on his cheeks had now traveled up to his ears. It took her a second but now she got what he was saying. Her own face broke out into red.

"Ben, it's normal for boys to um, get turned on. Especially at your age. It was my, um fault for not having much on.." Gwen then found herself looking away. This was defiantly not a great start for making conversation. Both cousins sat in the quiet still room for a minute before coming up with what to say next. It was now Ben's turn to speak.

"Yeah but, it was wrong. Very wrong. And I'm ashamed of myself for it. I'm sorry Gwen... I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to speak to me again." He then collapsed on his bed and hid his face into his Sumo Slammers pillow, clenching tightly on to it. He was more then embarrassed, he was utterly mortified and he hated having his own cousin see him like this. He wanted this day to just be over. Gwen, seeing he was in need, then scooted closer to him, laying herself down next to him. He didn't lift himself up.

"Ben." She said placing her hand in his soft brown hair. "What are you so ashamed of?" She whispered, causing Ben's head to actually lift up. Their eyes met again for a moment or two, before finally looking away. He was giving her that bashful look again, and Gwen couldn't help it but find it really cute. Ben had no idea.

"I'm ashamed of a lot of things Gwen. Things you wouldn't understand."

"Like?"

"Like, well.." He paused, now looking back down at his pillow, but didn't lay himself down again. Gwen waited for him to reply, but saw that he didn't. She really wanted to know what was on his mind. She then scooted closer.

"You don't have to tell me now. But when you're ready to, I'm here to listen." She told him, giving him another smile. Ben didn't do or say anything for a few seconds, before finally returning her a small grin himself. The boy then looked back into his cousin's eyes, seeing honesty and truth to them. 

He knew she was always caring, and someone he could always count on, even through the two tend to argue more then they needed to. He guessed it was just part of their cousinly love for each other. Families fight, that's just the way it is. But, no one in his family was like Gwen. No one was. And she was a diamond that was hard to find. He then shifted a little.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."


	5. A night out

As hours went by, Ben and Gwen had found a couple of things to occupie themselves with before any parents came home for the late evening. They had decided to play on the PS3, but fought over which games they wanted to do. Gwen wanted to play God of War, while Ben wanted to do COD. They got no where with it. After about 25 minutes of bickering, the two concluded that it just wasn't going to work out. They hooked up the Wii and stuck in Mario Kart 8 instead.

Ben found himself laying on his blue bean bag chair in the living room with his Wii controller in his hand. He felt as bored as ever, mostly due to the fact that his cousin kept coming into 1st place no matter what course or what characters they selected. He was getting sick of it.

Gwen on the other hand, was finding much joy to it, sitting down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and M&MS, playing away. After a few more minutes of loosing, Ben finally gave in and dropped his controller.

"That's it I'm done." He said, standing up from his beanbag and heading out into the kitchen. Gwen didn't do anything but laugh, still concentrated on the track's course.

"Oh don't be a sore loser Tennyson. I'll go easy on you next round." She said, showing a smug smile on her victory face. Ben rolled his eyes and let out a sigh which Gwen could hear from the living room.

"It's not really that. I'm just bored with video games." He replied coming back in with a glass of water. The second those words came tumbling out of his mouth, Gwen almost dropped her controller when she heard him say that. She then looked at him, beyond flabbergasted as if she was dreaming. Ben was never, and she knew never, bored with video games.

"YOU, bored with VIDEO GAMES? Did that stupid watch finally take over your mind?" Gwen asked, reaching to his cheeks and tugging at them. This was something she never thought her cousin was even capable of saying. Ben quickly jerked away and shook his head.

"It's not the watch, I just feel like we should do something else. We've been doing Mario Kart for like 4 hours and I'm getting kinda bored. Also my parents should be back home shortly and I don't want you to get in trouble." He answered sitting down next to her on the couch. Gwen was quiet as Ben chugged down his water. When he finished his glass, he looked over at her and their eyes met. She was giving him a pouty look.

"What?" He asked. Gwen didn't say anything, even if she wanted to. She had already narrowed it down in the shower that she did indeed have a small crush on her cousin, but now she was fighting with herself if she was going to convince him to let her stay a little longer. She couldn't understand why, but, the thought of being with him late at night made her feel protective. And that was a feeling she loved to feel.

Gwen turned away.  
"Nothing." She said, feeling her cheeks redden. She didn't want to go home so soon. Sure, she had been with him most of the school day and all of the afternoon, but now all of that wasn't good enough. She wanted to spend the night with him. Gwen shook away weird thoughts, not wanting to think things. How was she going to ask him without sounding, well, weird?

'I don't want him to catch on.' She thought as she felt his eyes still looking at her. "I know it's a small crush, but I don't want it to evolve into something greater.'

Ben blinked then sighed, knowing his cousin better then that. He then poked at her cheek.  
"Come on Gwen I know you're holding back something what's up?" He asked with a little bit of concern in his voice. Gwen had to think up something fast, not wanting to give herself away. Should she lie? Well, it was probably the best solution at the moment. On the other hand, it's something she had been doing all day. Either that or denying.

'You know what, I have to be honest with Ben, and myself. I think I'm just going to tell him.' She thought as she gave her attention back to him. Ben still sat there, wondering if Gwen had even heard him or not. He didn't like how quiet she was suddenly getting. 

"To tell you the truth, I don't want to go home tonight." She finally spoke, allowing her eyes to set down in his. The way those words came out of her mouth felt like a rush of cold air. Ben looked at her puzzled, more to the point flabbergasted at the thought of Gwen wanting to stay. But why would she want to? Besides, it was a school night. She already skipped the rest of the school day with him. Why did she suddenly want to hang around him longer?

"Uh, I don't know if you can or not. I mean, it is a school night and all. Plus I don't know how our parents would feel about it. We don't even have a spare bed for you to sleep in." Ben found himself really blushing at that last statement. It was true you now, where would she even sleep?

"Then we'll improvise." Gwen answered, giving him a small smile. Ben raised an eyebrow, not really sure wether to express fear or confusion. So he just expressed both. 

"Soooo, how would we do that?" He asked, really wanting to know now. Curiosity was striking him hard, and he was trying to figure out how his cousin would come up with this. He could tell she needed to be with someone, but was too shy to admit it. Maybe it was because of what happened today.

Could the whole locker room chaos actually have brought them well, closer? Ben wish he knew. But now was not the time to be asking. She could sleep on the couch, but it's kinda cold, not to mention rude. Ben knew if he was staying over someone's house, he'd want a nice comfy warm bed instead.

"Well, uh..." She started to say, trailing off a little bit. "I could take the couch-"

"No not the couch Gwen. It's freezing down here. Not to mention the heater isn't working properly. If you were to stay over you'd have to be somewhere else." He quickly answered, cutting her off in a rush. He knew himself how cold it got down here. One time, Cooper slept over and he offered him his own bedroom and bed. Ben had offered to sleep on the couch so his guest wouldn't have to. 

That was 2 years ago, and the teen still had frost bite from that night.  
Heatblast would only set the room on fire if he turned into him, so Ben suffered all night in the bitter cold. And he sure as hell wasnt going to let Gwen freeze to death. She meant too much to him.

She looked at him a little surprised, taken back by how fast and straightforward he had answered. Whatever the reason, she found it downright adorable. She blushed and looked the other way.

"If you insist Ben. But where would I sleep then?" She asked, voice sounding a little desperate. Ben rose his finger up and opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it when he realized he still didn't have an answer for her. He then scratched his head.

"Uh, well, I have no other place but to say my bed..." Ben answered, feeling his whole face burn with blossoming blush. Gwen's heart sped up as he looked at her, with such dignity in those bashful eyes. She felt herself grow quiet as she scrambled to find words to say. But before she could speak, the door swung open scaring the living daylights out of the two. Ben's parents were home.

"Ben darling we're home!" Aunt Sandra said putting down a brown paper bag full of groceries. "Sorry your father and I are a little late, we had to stop by the store and pick up dinner. Is Chicken with rice ok?" She asked standing back up and looking at the two. She then paused, upon noticing Gwen, who she had no idea was even there. She then smiled.

"Oh Gwendolyn, I didn't expect to see you here. How are you honey?" She asked walking over to the girl and giving her a nice hug. Gwen hugged her aunt back and smiled as well.

"Pretty good Aunt Sandra. How are you?"

"Oh you know, busy with work and all of that stuff. How was your day kids?"

The two cousins grew quiet as she asked that. They exchanged awkward glances at each other, not really sure how to respond to that. Ben then decided to break the silence by speaking up to his mother.

"It was good mom." He replied, as Aunt Sandra opened the door for his father. Ben's father dove in, arms full of more groceries along with his suitcase and coffee mug. The guy was a busy man, and by looking at him Ben could tell he didn't want to make any second runs. The car light was off, indicating that they're was no more things to get. He then placed everything down.

"Lord that was quite the load." He said, wiping his forehead a little.

"Honey, make room for one more person we have company." Sandra said smiling back over at Gwen. Carl looked up to see who she was talking about and showed a grin himself.

" Gwen dear, it's been a few months. How have you been?" Carl asked walking up to her and giving her a hand shake. Gwen shook back, simpering herself.

"I've been good uncle. Been busy with school and such." She replied pushing away any awkward thoughts. Uncle Carl laughed a little, then patted her on the back.

"Sounds good child. Good to see you take good in your education. I just wish Ben here would do the same."

"Hey!" He shouted, giving his father a deadly teenage boy glare. Carl just chuckled, then ruffled his son's hair, showing jokingly affection.

"I'm just playing around Ben, don't take things so seriously." He said walking back over to his wife and giving her a kiss. Aunt Sandra then kissed her husband back, giggling a little bit before entering into the kitchen with the last few loads of groceries. When she returned moments later, she sat herself a seat next to her niece.

"So, Gwen. I didn't ask this before but, what brings you here?" She looked over at the teen with curiosity in her eyes. Gwen looked sheepishly back at her aunt, giving her a "well I need comfort and for some odd reason only Ben can give that to me" look. But of course, Aunt Sandra couldn't read her in that way. Gwen decided to just wing at it.

"Um, study project?" She questioned herself, realizing how unsure she even sounded. It was the first thing that popped into her head. She was relying on herself to think up something creative, but couldn't seeing how time was limited. But it passed. Aunt Sandra smiled at the both of them and giggled to herself.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you two were study buddies. Haha, I told your uncle over here that if I ever saw you two getting a long, I'd buy him a new suit and tie. Looks like a owe him." She then winked at the two then walked away, Uncle Carl now following her back into the kitchen. Ben looked over at Gwen, with a displeasing look on his face. She turned away and smiled to herself.

"Study buddies, really Gwen? That's all you could come up with?" He asked as his cousin let out a victory laugh. She then turned back at him and nodded, loving the idea of it. But she of course wasn't going to let Ben know that.

"Well you try and think up something when you're on the spot dweeb." She retorted, but laughed a little bit afterwards. Ben crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, but of course, couldn't help but smile in secret. It didn't sound too bad, but he knew he wasn't going to hear the end of it with his parents. He was more then ready for the consequences.

"You owe me one." He said, poking her cheek gently with his index. She then made a face at him.

"Yeah, in your dreams I do." 

" Hmhm, alright. I'll let this one slide for now. By the way, you called your parents right? They know you're staying correct?" Ben asked, suddenly remembering that Gwen hadn't at all called to let her mom and dad know that she was staying over. A sudden look of worry sprouted on her face when she realized that.

"Damn it I didn't. Could I use your phone?"

"Sure, it's in the kitchen. Make it snappy though, we have some "studying" to do." He smirked, emphasizing on the word study. Gwen just looked at him then slowly turned away, not wanting her cousin to see her face red again. She had had enough of that today.

After the phone call with confirming things, and a while more of hanging around the couch and talking, Ben's parents called the two in for dinner. As usual, Ben skitted into the kitchen, almost tripping on his own two feet as his socks failed to keep solid friction with the kitchen floor. Gwen on the other hand, just casually walked in and sat herself down at the table and folded her hands. She then glanced over at Ben who was rubbing his ass from his fall and looked away to giggle to herself. She just couldn't help it.

'He's an idiot. But he's "my" idiot.' She thought as Aunt Sandra placed a plate of food infront of her.  
Dinner went on for a while, since there was always a lot to talk about in the Tennyson household. Uncle Carl informed the two teens about his job, and talked about how long his business meetings sometimes were. Gwen seemed to be taking some interest in his talking while Ben seemed dead out bored the moment his father started talking.

Aunt Sandra seemed to notice, but didn't say anything, not sure if Ben would get embarrassed or not. She then cleared her throat, getting her husband and niece's attention. Both mouths closed and eyes glanced over at her as she portrayed a warm smile on her face.

"Dear, I think it's time for the two teens to get some of their studying done. It's almost 9 and Gwen's mother and father are going to be here when ever. So it's best the two get to work." Sandra said, clearing away empty dinner plates off of the table.

"Actually mom, I invited Gwen to stay the night. So it's no biggie." Ben said, scratching the back of his head. Both of his parents eyes widened in surprise, never expecting that out of their son. Carl looked at the boy for a few seconds then laughed a little. He thought it was funny how Ben was suddenly acting very "grown" lately. He wondered what had gotten into him.

'Who knows, maybe he's been watching Dear John again lately.' He thought as Aunt Sandra giggled to herself. She indeed found the situation flattering. Ben and Gwen just stared awkwardly at the two adults as they exchanged looks at each other. They didn't at all want to know what they were thinking.

"Well, it's ok with us if it's ok with Gwen's parents. Now we know it's a school night, but I trust that you two will get things done." Carl finally said as the two teens waited in anticipation. Both of them let out a small sound of relief, finding it incredibly irritating if they had to call her parents back and cancel. 

Ben showed a small smile, while Gwen hid the tint of pink that was forming on her cheeks. She didn't want her Aunt and Uncle to think she "liked Ben" in that sort of way, even though she sadly admitted to herself that she did. 

She wanted to let out a sigh.

"We all ready called Aunt Natalie and Uncle Frank about it. Yeah, I know that was a bad move to perform first." Ben stated, looking away from his parents. Carl sighed, but showed his son a smile.

"It was, but, now you know next time." He said rubbing Ben's hair then walked out of the room. Aunt Sandra followed her husband, smiling at the two on her way out.

"In a little while I'm going out late with your father Ben. Grandpa Max needs us for a few things." The moment Ben heard that his face lit up as if the new Sumo Slammers video game came out. He then tugged at his mother's arm, as if he was still a young child.

"Can me and Gwen go with you please?" He asked, showing his mother puppy dogs eyes. Aunt Sandra giggled but shook her head, leaving Ben to sulk back into his seat. Gwen snickered to herself.

"I'd love to take the both of you but, it's getting awfully late. We won't get back till 1 am. Sorry we didn't mention this before but we were so exited to see the both of you together that we forgot to tell you. Maybe next time." She then smiled, and walked away, leaving the two cousins alone. Ben sat back, crossing both of his arms in frustration.

"Yeah, well, me and Gwen have some studying to do anyway. I'll see you guys later." He answered, trying not too show too much of his anger but failed. Gwen turned to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at her. She smiled at her cousin.

"Come on Ben. Let's go upstairs. There will be plenty of times to see Grandpa Max. But tonight's just not one of them." Gwen explained, hoping her words would cheer the boy up. Instead, Ben rolled his eyes and let out a "whatever" sound and got up from the couch. Seeing that Ben was heading up stairs, she followed him, eagerly ready to get the night going. She had some things she wanted to get out of her head.


	6. Beneath the blankets.

The two cousins "studied" and by studied I mean by playing on the lap top and watching YouTube videos for over an hour as the night finally settled in. Ben had played a few more dedicated rounds of World of Warcraft, while Gwen browsed around and downloaded some music off of Juno Download. It was going on 11. Aunt Sandra and Uncle Carl had already left to see Grandpa Max over an hour ago, and Ben remembered them saying that they weren't going to get back till very late. The two were once again alone.

Before they left, Aunt Sandra had set up a fold up cot for Gwen to sleep on which was placed in the corner of Ben's room. It wasn't all that comfy, but it was durable and Gwen really wasn't complaining. At least she got to be near Ben. She wasn't sure how Ben thought of the whole thing. She guessed he had mixed feelings about it, since this was practically the first time a girl was sleeping over and sharing the same room as him. She felt her heart melt as that thought sank in.

'And I'm That first girl.' Just thinking about it sent a smile straight to her face. A few seconds later she heard Ben yawn, causing her to break away from her thinking and look over at her cousin. Ben had already logged off and closed his lap top which was now sitting on his night stand charging away. He then laid himself down, landing with a small thump. Ben turned himself over so he was laying on his right side and began to stare at the wall. He then yawned again.

"I'm going to bed now." He said, voice drowning in drowsiness. Gwen yawned herself, seeing how late it was getting and gave him a nod. She was ready to hit the hay herself. Despite not having any pajamas to wear, Aunt Sandra had given Gwen some clothing attire to wear for the night, which consist of a spaghetti strap white nightgown with black shorts to go a long with it.

It was a little bit skimpy, but the temperature was pretty warm so Gwen didn't mind wearing it. The only problem was Ben. Then again, the whole locker thing happened...  
She blushed just thinking about it.

"Ok Ben, we can go to sleep." She replied wrapping her blanket around her tightly, due to her exposing night gown. After a few more minutes of getting ready, Ben finally reached over and turned off the light. Filling up the room with a heavy darkness. The two were silent, not saying anything for a minute or two as the calming vibe of the dark room settled in. 

Gwen laid down on her cot, embracing her blanket as the sound of the fan was lightly blowing. The radio was on as well, but only on low, just for a little bit of more white noise to fill the empty space of the room. Ben let out a sigh, which alerted Gwen to turn to her cousin who was trying to get to sleep but couldn't. She knew something was wrong.

"Ben?" She said, her soft voice sounding once more like a dove.

"Yeah?"

"You ok?"

"....yeah. Why do you ask?" Ben's voice seemed to have some sort of tightness to it. As if he was trying to hold back an emotion he wished he could express. But knew he couldn't. Gwen shifted around in her cot a little more before deciding to speak again. Ben was silent, not wanting to say a word untill Gwen was ready to. He didn't want to continue on with out her. She then cleared her throat.

"Well, it seems like there's something wrong. Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice softened again, making Ben's eyes widen but only a little bit. His heart was slowly starting to pick up pace, as the young gentle voice of his concerned cousin sprang back into action. He sat himself up and peered into the darkness, trying to see the silhouette that belonged to Gwen. She was sitting up as well, looking over at him as she tried to meet his eyes. The dimness of the room ruined that.

"Well, kinda." He replied, turning away and laying himself back down. He didn't add on to his sentence, which made Gwen have no choice but to speak up again. She saw that talking to him from this distance wasn't going to get anything through, nor having direct eye contact. And to Gwen, eye contact was important.

She flung her legs to the side of the cot and stood up, allowing the warm blanket that was draped over her shoulders to slide off of her body, and land into a heap on the carpeted floor. She walked herself over to his bedside, making enough noise so that Ben knew she was coming. Ben turned his head as his cousin sat herself down, left leg partially hanging off the side. Both emerald eyes met in the dark for a moment or two, before one pair decided to turn away. And that was the lighter pair.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked as Gwen was now glancing over at the wall or at least what she could see of it. she didn't answer right away, not sure herself what she was doing. All she knew was that she wanted to help Ben.

"I uh, need to talk." She found herself saying, unsure how to handle being put on the spot. Ben was quiet for a second or two before sitting himself up again to face his cousin. He placed his finger underneath her chin and brought it back her way. Gwen's heart skipped a beat as he let go, fingers slowly lowering. She was so happy the room was dark, not wanting Ben to see her rosey cheeks.

"There. Now we can talk." He said, letting his face hold a small smile. Gwen smiled back, but only faintly, feeling her legs begin to shake from her nervousness. She never thought she would ever in her life be nervous infront of Ben, but of course things happen, and this was something she couldn't help. When he wasn't fooling around or acting like a complete tool, he was the most caring boy she had ever known. She almost wanted to hug him, but knew she couldn't. Enough damage had already been done that day. No more crossing any lines.

Noticing Gwen's quietness, Ben tried to think up something else to say, but struggled to upon seeing the revealing nightgown that she was wearing. The white lace that was suppose to be over her shoulders was now falling down a little, almost showing part of her chest. He saw that she didn't seem to take notice in it, for she had her focus on something else. That girl's mind was a universe of thought.

He wanted to hold her so bad.

The brunette then gulped, holding back his sporadic thoughts and clutched hard to his chest. Gwen, upon being lost in her head, took notice of her cousin and found her eyes wondering back to him. She placed her hand down, almost infront of his right which was settling loosely on the blankets. Her round innocent eyes of wonder looked up at him, filling with concern as Ben felt his pj pants start to get tight again. She made a small sound.

"Ben? Are you ok?" Her soft dove voice was back, and it only made the situation worse. Ben then made a deep sound which seem to echo in his throat. He didn't want another replay of this, and he was praying so hard to God that everything would turn out ok. 

"Yeah Gwen, I'm ok." He lied, begging his problem to go back down. Ben found himself struggling as he placed his hands inside his pants, gently pushing his penis back down. It took more then enough effort, but after a second or two, it was finally back in place. He felt his whole body smile in relief. 'Haha, finally.' He thought, wiping away sweat.

Gwen didn't seem to buy it, knowing her cousin like the back of her hand, and she wasn't going to let him get away with this one. She scooted closer to him, moving away blankets that were in her way and found herself nearly on his lap. Quickly alarmed, Ben almost let out a shrieking sound but bit his tongue as Gwen was about to do the same thing herself. There was enough of that already today.

Silence, once again fell on the two. And Gwen knew she was to blame for it.  
***************************************  
They weren't sure how long they sat there, not exchanging one word to each other. It felt like hours, but both knew it was only minutes, 5 minutes at least. Gwen was looking down at the blankets, not wanting to move a muscle as Ben secretly felt the same way, knowing if he didn't he wouldn't be able to stop any sudden urges he might of been having.

She wanted to speak again, but only felt her throat get dry when she did. She wanted to say what she was thinking, she really did. But knew if she even tried it would all just end in a flop. Gwen knew she had to get past that. She had to say something.

"How come you were holding on to me like that during lunch?" She found herself blurting out then quickly covered her mouth in absolute shock. Out of all the things she could've said, that had to be the first thing to break the ice between them.   
'Way to go Dumb ass.' She thought, criticizing herself. She wanted to just slap her own cheek after saying that. How could she not censor herself this time? Especially at a time like this?

In shock, Ben's head raised, feeling as if a thorn bush was being dragged across his heart and ripped to shreads. He felt his body freeze in place, but quickly shook it off feeling he had to quit the childish act. He was no longer 10. He was considered a teenager, and that's exactly how he was going to act.

"Gwen..." He began. His voice caught her attention back.

"Yeah?"

"I..I'm sorry for doing that...I just thought....you know.."

"Know what?"

".........."

".........."

"The whole....baby thing..." He finally said, trailing off at the very last part. Her heart bounced and her eyes widened. How could she of forgotten about that? And so soon? Failing to tell him a head of time. Without even feeling it, her eyes began to water, but nothing seemed to come out just yet. She was looking at him, with eyes of guilt and despair, seeing how ignorant she had been all along. How selfish she was being. She didn't even know she was being that way.

"Ben, you really thought I was?" She choked out, not liking the way those words were coming out of her mouth. He didn't say anything back, just replied with a nod instead. The red head bit her lower lip.

"Ben...."

"It's going to sound stupid, but, if you accidentally were, I had this stupid idea of helping you raise the kid because of our stupid clumsy actions!I don't know what came over me or why I would even care. I'm only 13 for God's sake! Why would I care about something like that?" He bluntly answered, feeling himself hold back from sudden crying, like with Gwen, came out of no where. He then pushed himself away, facing the opposite direction that his cousin was facing and started to quietly sob.

Gwen, was awestruck. No, she was more then that. Starstruck was more like it. Everything was now coming into place, and all the sudden realization seemed to back fire which made the girl finally let out her tears. She had no idea Ben was feeling that way, and the burst of emotion he just showed was a little too much for her to handle. She then wiped her eyes.

"You...we're willing to do that for me?" She asked, voice now softer then any dove that was able to coo. He nodded, not looking her direction of course, but allowed his tight shoulders to finally be let down. The tension that was swarming around him seemed to ease up, which was a big relief for the both of them. He then sighed.

"Yeah. Stupid right? And I don't even know why." The cousin replied, voice now quiet as hers. Gwen reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. It surprised him a little, catching him a little bit off guard but he allowed it. Once again right next to him, close like before.

"I think I know why." She whispered, leaning in pretty close to his ear. Ben then took the courage to tilt his head and look the girl right in the eyes, as if his ears were drawn to her words. Her words were like candy, sweet candy that only he could enjoy, and the things that she was thinking was making him hungry. He wanted to hear what his cousin had to say.

"Why do you think why?" He whispered back, feeling more tension build up between them, but it was a different kind of tension. It was the kind you felt when someone who meant the world to you was right there, wanting to know your mind, but also wanting to know your heart. And Gwen was that kind of person.

She smiled, seeing how ignorant he was to his own heart. Ignoring what his loving heart had to say to him, and what it was trying to put into words. Words that Ben thought he could never ever say or feel towards another human being. And he was so blinded by that.

Ben sat there patiently, confused why Gwen wasn't saying anything. Since their eyes adjusted to the dark a bit, he was able to make out the features on her face, and he could tell that she was smiling. But why?

"Gwen?" He asked. "Aren't you going to tell me?" He wondered, so puzzled to what he was missing out. She chuckled again, finding it more then adorable at how dumb he could be sometimes. Ben on the other hand, just didn't get it.

"But Ben, you already know." She finally said to him, showing him her most treasured smile that she rarely ever showed to anyone. And just by doing that, it finally clicked inside his head. It was all tumbling down on him now, and the rush of emotion that was swirling around inside him was beginning to build up. It explained Why he kept looking at her in class, why he felt so protective over what had happened in the locker room, finding her a little bit cute, running to the nurses, holding her in the courtyard, skipping the rest of school and allowing her to join him, caring if she was pregnant or not, carrying her home almost all the way, and last but not least allowing her to sleep over. It was all clear now.

He sat himself back, completely overwhelmed by his own ignorance and emotion. He placed his right hand over his head and felt his body shake, heart now pounding and face heating up. He looked up at Gwen, who's light emerald eyes were still upon him, showing a warm presence. He then grabbed her shoulders with both hands and pulled her close, telling himself to not let her go. Surprised as hell, she gasped, feeling the force of the pull hurt her arms a little, but it didn't matter. No, not any more.

He stared at her, panting a little as both hazy green eyes, the lovely color that they both beautifully shared locked into one. His bangs dropped, covering up his left as he held tighter on to her with more force. Gwen's heart stopped, not sure what he was about to do but didn't do anything. She was too shocked to even speak.

"I love you." He huffed out, breath warm and moist from all his breathing, then pulled her to his face, lips crashing upon hers. Gwen, too stunned to even move, gasped a little then melted into his arms. She kissed him back, passionately, and didn't stop. no, they didn't stop at all.  
*************************************  
Ben kept going, and he wasn't being gentle about it but Gwen didn't mind. She wanted it just as badly as he did. During their making out, Ben had loosened the straps on her nightgown a little, and Gwen allowed it to fall past her shoulders. It was just barely falling off her, almost exposing both of her bare breast, which were still In develoment. Ben then pushed his cousin down, but she gently hit the blankets with a soft thud. After all that rough kissing, he didn't want her to feel like everything he was going to do would hurt. He weighed his body on top of hers, pinning her down with his hands and stared down at her. One eye still covered, while his mouth was opened, panting hard.

A long line of saliva was trailing from his mouth to hers, and Gwen was also as well, red in the face and trying to catch her breath. They were exhausted.  
After a few seconds of deep breathing, Ben finally caught his breath. He let go of Gwen's left wrist and wiped his mouth, breathing now under control. He showed her a cocky grin, which meant that everything was now toned down a little, which made her smile.

"Wow...I...I never ever thought I had any of that..in me haha." He bashfully said, face getting redder by the second. Gwen, who was still underneath him giggled then pulled his face back down to hers. She then kissed him again, but this time added her tongue in, which only resulted in Ben moaning a little then pinning her left wrist down again.

After they released, they locked eyes and laughed, seeing how funny it was that they were both completely embarrassed yet didn't let it bother them. Gwen then snickered and shifted a little.

"You know, my parents told me that you only kissed someone if you were going to marry them." She said, eyes looking back up at him a little shyly. Ben smiled, upon hearing those words, and leaned in again for a quick kiss, being her cheek this time.

"I guess I'm going to have to marry you then." He joked, stroking the side of her cheek then moved up to her hair. He reached over and kissed her forehead softly, then leaned back and let go of her, sliding off of her warm body allowing her to get up.

They then ended their love session with a warm embrace, with Ben pulling her in with a gentle hug. They were quiet for a moment or two, before any of them decided to speak again, but found the hug they were sharing wordly enough, besides the warmth of their bodies.

Gwen's nightgown, now down to her waist, lingered in place for a few minutes more. She then pulled it back up, placing her straps back on her shoulders. Ben smirked, tugging on them again.

" I liked it better when it was past your waist." He joked leaning back for another kiss. Gwen smirked herself, pressing her body up against his before nipping at his neck.

"I'll let you pull it down later, but for now, I just want to be in your arms." She stated, running her hands down his chest. Ben smiled, then laid the both of them down gently, facing each other as they laid side by side together. Ben then looked at her, as if she was the only thing in the world then yawned, feeling his tiredness beat him to Gwen. He winced a little.

"Sleepy?" She asked, catching on to his tiredness. He nodded.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." He admitted, feeling his eyes begin to close. Gwen then scooted closer and nuzzled into his chest, loving the warmth his body was giving off. She smiled.

"I guess it's time to hit the hay then. Would you say?"

"Yeah. It's time for bed."

"We also have school in the morning, damn it." Gwen whined, wanting the night to last forever. Ben chuckled.

"Damn you're right. Well, at least we'll have some time for kissing during classes." He said with a sly smirk. Gwen smirked right back at him, loving the lustful sound of his voice.

"Oh please carrying on." She purred, wanting more out of her cousin. Instead, he kissed her one last kiss before hugging her close to his tired body. Gwen wasn't complaining.

"I guess I'll have to wait and see."

"Defiantly. Hey um, Gwen?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you to dweeb."

"Will you um, still call me Superman? Am I still a hero to you?"

She looked at him, showing him her best smile again one last time before giving him her goodnight kiss. She found his silly questions more then amusing. The cute things that came out of his dirty mouth.

"Ben, you've always have, and you always will." Then kissed his lips goodnight, as the scintillating moon lit up the room.

The End. ;)


End file.
